Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 542

Monster train and kingdom come deliverance this weekend.

Prince of Persia the Lost Crown for me, superb game, some real tricky platforming in parts which can be frustrating but it always feels fair, loving it.

Happy gaming folks

Having finally finished all of GTAIV’s online trophies, I’m now working my way through an Impossible run on Dead Space (2008). It’s a great game anyway but the scarcity of ammo and precision needed for this harder difficulty, just improves the game no end. I’m finally starting to get the appeal of Survival Horror.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: This is a great way to design open worlds. Sure, it's a collect-a-thon, but each point of interest is something different: unique monsters, finding out region intel, depowering boss fights for summons, or hunting down a protorelic.

The story continues to enthrall, with varied locales such as sunny vacation beach Costa del Sol, Mount Corel and its labyrinthine mines, or the glitzy spectacle of the Gold Saucer, and excellent supporting players such as robotic cat Cait Sith and feisty but playful ninja Yuffie Kisaragi.

Of course, the focus is still on stopping Sephiroth and the game doesn't lose sight of that. Yet having so many activities to do along the way invariably makes the experience tons of fun.

Dead Cells is fun ✌️

No-one at Daedalic ever got back to me regarding the balancing patch for Capes. Their automated response telling me they'd get back to me was sent to me July 22. I do keep checking for the console update, but it hasn't been released. It's been a tough year for me financially - lots of unexpected expenditures. So, instead of spending more money, I'm replaying Divinity: Original Sin. Haven't played it since 2015 (per the trophy dates!) - so, just about the right amount of time's passed for me to enjoy it all over again!!

Indivisible

Metroidvania platformer RPG with fighting game mechanics. Gorgeous visuals and great character designs (Indian JRPG style) but a somewhat lackluster story.

Bendy and the Ink Machine

Great little horror game with early Disney characters and some good Bioshock vibes. I'm playing it with the VR mod on PC which adds a lot to the already gloomy sepia-colored atmosphere.

I just finished my third playthrough of Stellar Blade. Still missing a couple costumes, I'll have to look them up but I wont do another run yet.
I'm stuck on BG3 and I can't be bothered to deal with it now.
I did buy Forza 4 Ultimate so I might just do some races or something.
I'm really looking forward to Dragon Age Veilguard. That will most likely be my next new game.

Final fantasy 1 (pixel remaster) and Kingdom Hearts melodies of memory.

A trip to the past!

I’m playing DD2 which is pretty fun, but I still prefer the first game. I will say the enemies are much more brutal. Got picked up by one ogre, and then thrown straight into another that had just spawned. 😂

@ShogunRok I'm about 20 hours into Infinite Wealth. It's completely bonkers. You will love it.

Playing a random bunch this weekend. I've got Death Stranding Directors Cut which is an incredibly weird but polished game that I'm enjoying finally diving into. I'm also playing Lost in Random, which is fun so far, amazing artstyle that reminds me of Coraline and the Alice games. Finally I'm playing Pokemom the card game 2 which some legend online did an excellent fan translation for, and I'm a sucker for collectable cards with cool pictures.

Have a good weekend all ✌

Bringing moustachioed justice to the Galaxy in Star Wars: Jedi Survivor

In the middle of clearing out Moonrise in Baldur's Gate 3, addictive game but can be a bit of a slog at times. Other games being played are Spin Rhythm XD and Nobody Wants to Die.

Still playing Grimrock 2 on PC (such a good dungeon crawler), but I’m also fitting in some OG Doom (which I’ve bought a million times so it was nice to get the free version). I’ve still got the original box from 1994. Looking forward to the Arizona Sunshine remake in October

@Perturbator glad your liking Bendy, I bought it ages ago, I’m going to try to play it this Halloween

Beat Dark Souls 3 and DLC. Very interested in Black Myth Wukong next week but might hold off for Ps5 impressions. Loads to play in the meantime

Baldur's Gate 3 and the return of the Prem ⚽️

Trying a 2nd run of MAFIA DE. Still on MH Rise, some Iceborne probably. Plus, back on the GOAT - RDRII on my 4th run still. Aaaannd will probably return to Shadow of the Erdtree.

@colonelkilgore Funny how I bought GTAIV twice, 1 on PS3 1 on 360, but here I am, can't even get to play it anymore. Shocking we don't have a PS4 port at least yet, like RDR and people say R* care so much about money.

I will be trying to get the robocop rouge city platinum trophy before my team plays Monday night have a great weekend everyone

Evil West

Still really enjoying the game after my first full week of playing it. I'm pretty sure I'm nearing the end of the game though. so I may wrap it up this weekend.

I will be playing one of the best video games ever made in the instant classic the amazing dishonored.corvo attano is a amazing protagonist.the graphics.the story.the soundtract.the gameplay.the boss fights is amazing.i will also be playing the horror classic.one of the best video games ever made in the excellent evil within.sebastian castlellanos is a excellent protagonist.the graphics is excellent.the gameplay.the soundtrack.the boss fights.and the story is excellent.i will also be playing one of the best video games trilogy ever made in the wonderful mas effect legendary edition.im playing mass effect 1.with me playing as the male version of john Shepard.the graphics is wonderful.the story.the soundtract.the boss fights
And The story is wonderful.i will also be playing the underared instant classic the awsome darksiders warmaster edition.war is a awsome protagonist.the graphics is awsome.the gameplay.the soundtrack.the story and the boss fights is awsome.and i will be playing the incredible the instant classic.the incredible kingdom of amulur re reckoning. I will be playing as a sorcery the mage.the magic gameplay is incredible.the graphics.the story.the soundtract.the boss fights is incredible.i will be watching my Pittsburgh Steelers 💛🖤preaseason game..i will be watching legendary sitcoms tv 📺 shows in family matters.good times.sanford and son. And saved by the bell.word up son

Finishing Blasphemous. Tempted by Black Myth but will hold on for full reviews

Still looking for a new game. Might try Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - I love Jet Set Radio so pretty sure I will like it!

IF I get to play anything at all, I'm close to finishing Bloodborne and I started a Rena playthrough of Star Ocean 2 Remake. I did want to try our Lego Star Wars so I downloaded and installed it but haven't started it yet.

Hope you all have a better weekend than i!

I think I've reached the final boss in Shadow of the Erdtree. Put it this way, if there's another boss after this, I don't want to meet them.

I'm starting Persona 5 Royal, Cold Steel 2 and Witcher 3 this weekend!
I won't be bored for awhile, that's for sure haha. I'm also adding in Astro Bot once that releases!

My father passed away two days ago so I’m playing the game of regret(s) and funeral planning. Thankfully, I have a wife and work family that is incredibly supportive. But this game is hard, and I am trying to grieve with sarcasm and escapism.

As for what has been played before this unfortunate time, it has been Ys: VIII on the PlayStation Vita. I am near the end of my first play-through, on Nightmare mode, and should be achieving the true ending. It’s a very, very good game. It will hold a special place in my heart because not only is it a well crafted game, but it is comforting me at my most vulnerable, and obviously diverting my expectations in the most unexpected of ways.

I’m glad this franchise is evangelized by so many JRPG fans. It’s truly something special. I never thought with Ys VIII’s story on being stranded on an island would have me dealing with a wide array of problems, ranging from a serial killer, time travel, ghost ships, ancient civilizations, dinosaurs, evolution, farting, a wife of six tempted to cheat on her husband with me, and even a woman who unexpectedly goes into labor, gave birth, and if you do her side quests, lets you become the godfather and name the newborn. What the actual hell? But it works. And I love it.

TL;DR - My dad passed away. I’m heartbroken. Ys VIII is comforting me right now.

Working on Rise of The Ronin and Strangers of Paradise. Might dive into an FPS like Prodeus when I need a break.

I’m just biding my time until Black Myth Wukong.

Honestly though, I’ve got a weird itch to play a Mario game, so may go see what my stinky switch has for me.

I may well play some gt7 dailies ,daily b at blue moon Bay this evening ,it's a fun circuit ,I haven't touched daily c at the green hell this wk at all,just to long and it's 6 Laps ,all power to those that love daily c though ,it's a shame though as I love gt7's dynamic weather system.

I never play online games but I’ve been stuck on The First Descendant for weeks now. Over 100 hours in and just got my 7th descendant. So that’s what I’ll be playing this weekend. This is the first online game that I’ve played since Destiny. My backlog between PS5, Xbox, and switch is insane and here I am doing nothing but playing this game. The addiction is strong.

@Splat I played a couple of hours last night, love it so far!

Hunt: Showdown on PS5 to give the update a proper whirl.

Probably some more Dragon's Dogma 2, which is my most played game this year by far. Best game so far too 😌 Just give us an expansion capcom! I can't resist a proper adventure.

@Kraven I’m sorry for your loss. Those are never easy times. There are always twinges of regret that creep in during those times, but when we lose someone they knew we loved them and that we would miss them. My prayers for you all during this.

I hope to finish Shadow of the Erdtree this weekend. I have been stuck on that rat ***** Consort Radahn. I went back to the haligtree to fight Malenia to see the difference in difficulty. I killed her on the 2nd try. Radahn is the hardest boss at least to me in any From game. I need to finish this so I can get back to GOT. I also just purchased Forza 4 so I will probably relax and play that as well in between throwing my controller after losing to Radahn again. And finally there will be Mario Kart with the kids.

I finished FF XIII (PS3) a couple of days ago and i got 5 stars rating against the final boss despite i didn't grind a lot in this game. So i'm happy that i finally crossed it out from one of my backlogs.

I changed my mind about XIII, from a mediocre main FF to a pretty solid one with the graphic, combat, and music are still pretty solid for todays standard. The story & characters while it has some flaws and slow burner in early chapters, but in the end i think it works well enough despite it repeats the usual "Human vs God" of FF tradition.

So right now i'm playing another underrated SE game; The Last Remnant Remastered on PS4. I always see people talked negatively about this game. But so far i thought it's a pretty enjoyable RPG with some cool and unique twist for turn based combat. Sure it has some weird jank with how the characters moves / face expression and the environment looks less detail, which i'm okay because it is crystal clear SE doesn't put a lot of budget for this game.

Also, i just tried Kage: Shadow of the Ninja Reborn demo. The game is fun and quite challenging but it's nice to see a 2D side scrolling game from Natsume again.

Oh and Alien: Romulus is great. Finally we have a solid Alien movie again 😍

@Kraven I'm so sorry for your loss bro. I hope you and your family stay strong.

I've gone back to playing neverwinter on PS4, but I really need to get back to persona 3.

@TheArt yeah I was waiting on a ps4/ps5 port but just bit the bullet and played it on ps3 in the end. Still golden.

@Kraven Thoughts and prayers to you and your family.

Dragon Dogma 2, some side quest I’m going to finish up before I head back to the main quest. Probably mess around with Tekken 8 as well.

In the middle of…

-Baldur’s Gate 3
-Lords of the Fallen
-FF7Rebirth
-Armored Core VI
-Tunic

Yeah… And I kind if just want to reinstall Alien: Isolation to prepare for seeing Romulus on Monday…

@Kanji-Tatsumi A lot of people probably doesn't understand what's the appeal of Death Stranding and mocked the game as walking sims or Kojima wet dreams.

But every time i booted the game, i got addicted on building a road and connected it from one point to the other. Or just put a chiral ladder, a power skeleton, building a bridge at spot where other players can used it to crossed a deep river, a zip line which definitely very useful at that snowy mountain stage full of BT's, or a timefall shelter.

Or sometimes i just walking around delivering package while gave likes to other people tools which feels like an ASMR for me haha.

I'm curious what kind of story and gameplay for Death Stranding 2. It feels like Kojima gonna crank it up to 11.

Still playing through Trails Of Cold Steel 3 and Monster Hunter World.
On the Switch I gave up on Civilisation vi unfortunately cuz I found it too overwhelming and had no idea what I was doing.
I bought Snack World to replace it and am quite enjoying despite the constant grind.

@DrVenture69 Hope you enjoy it too!

@Kraven Oh my goodness, i'm so sorry to hear that.. Sorry for your loss I lost my dad three years ago. I can imagine the extreme pain.. but YS VIII is an excellent game to keep yourself occupied. I do have one tip though, something that really helped me: Making a photo album of your loved one and maybe add some personal text in there too. It's a really good diversion to handle the pain and grief.. at least it was for me

@Daleaf it's superb. The story and acting is top notch. Never gets old for me. I actually love part 2 as well but it's not as well paced, bit bloated.

@KilloWertz I got it Christmas 2022 I think. I loved it. Pure fun. Like a late PS2 or early PS3 throwback. May revisit it on plus

Having just platinumed the absolutely EXCELLENT Alan Wake 2 I’m now going to start on its first DLC ‘Night Springs’. Happy gaming everyone!

@ShogunRok any update on getting a poll in these posts like on Nintendo Life? Makes it so much more interesting to see the trends week by week.

PS5 wise:
Ghost of Tsushima
Returnal
P3 Reload
Last of Us
Hoping to start Stray

PS4 wise:
ESO
Days Gone
Dragon’s Dogma.

Hoping to get a bit tidying done tomorrow

@Zeroo Should hopefully hear about this soon!

@Zuljaras eh coincidence. Im currently playing Darksiders 2 on steam deck. So far im enjoying it. This game is bigger than I thought.

Robocop..really enjoying it but I really don't like the rpg story bits in the police headquarters..its really naff but when you get down to the shooting it's great fun..have a great weekend folks 👍

@ShogunRok thank you! That will be awesome

Been out with my son today and got whooped at golf... again. Tonight i will will be playing some cat quest 2 hopefully as i got it for me and my (non gaming) wife to try and play together. Apart from that i might try and squeeze some more origional doom in and i did buy lost judgment on sale.

I've been stomping my way through Guild Wars 2 after not playing it for almost a decade, been incredibly relaxing to start 'fresh' with new character... I won't be up to speed for the new expansion but I'll get there eventually

@Marquez it's wonderfully meditative at its core and I hope the sequel doesn't lose that.

I've been focusing on Stellar Blade and I really, really enjoy this game. Looks and plays great, the story is good enough to keep me interested, love the soundtrack and some side missions are good. Think Im about one third in, doing everything. The game isnt perfect, but very fun so I can overlook some things... my only complaint is that there are too many ***** collectibles, and thats just because I want the Platinum trophy 😅

I'm having to stop myself playing DMC5 and Balatro to get through my backlog, starting with Like a Dragon: Ishin.
Also been playing Teardown which is something a bit different

Really enjoying Deadlink. It had a bit of a slow start in regards to meta progression, but things are getting tasty now. Also playing Atlas Fallen. Don’t know what the game was like before the recent “Reign of sand” update, but I’m enjoying it. Plenty of essence stones to choose from to tailor your build, and the momentum mechanic is good. Going to try and finish it before Star Wars Outlaws comes out.

Dark Souls Remastered (PS5) - 2 lord souls in my pocket, 2 more remaining. After I finish this masterpiece, will definitely need a break from souls games

So Lies of P will have to wait and want to play some shorter games for change. Last of Us 2 Remastered already installed for some time so this might be the first one, then most probably Astrobot with my sons.

And of course I'll be watching Premier League from this weekend. Let's see if Arsenal or Liverpool are able to beat ManCity this season, I'd love to see that happen

Happy gaming, everyone!

Finishing up my first RE7 playthrough on Normal then I might speedrun one playthrough quickly to prep for Madhouse. But I’m saving Madhouse for later. Probably either continue my replay of HFW or Uncharted 4 afterwards

Still abroad this week, so continuing with The Minish Cap when I get the chance - just about to get to the third temple - enjoying it so far!

Playing

• Baba is You (Switch)
• Divinity: Original Sin (XSX)
• F1 23 (PS5)
• Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster (Steam)

Paused

• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS5)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
• Yakuza: Like A Dragon (PS5)

Backlog

• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Days Gone
• Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
• Persona 3: Reload
• Red Dead Redemption 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

S.T.A.L.K.E.R SOC on PS5.

Im on Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name.
Its pretty much like the previous Yakuza Games - and I love it.

"Super Robot Wars X" (R3) on the big screen via the device show on my avatar 🫡

Also, some "Persona 3 Reload" - it's a sad attempt to seem somewhat 'modern'.

I've been on a bit of an RE marathon lately. I finally did a 2nd run of RE2 Remake as Claire the other week after playing through the first time as Leon back on the PS4. Then moved onto RE3, which I quite enjoyed though it was a bit shorter than RE2 and it's certainly more action orientated.

Now I'm on the Shadow of Rose DLC for RE Village which I'm quite enjoying so far. It's fairly linear but it's great being back in that world again.

Once that's done I'll finally be ready to start RE4 remake; my intention is to play the whole thing through in VR though so it may take a while!

@rusty82 Sums up Evil West pretty well. It will never be considered a classic, but sometimes it's just as good or better to play a game that's just fun. I claimed it whenever they gave it away for free on PS Plus Essential and I'm obviously glad I did.

This weekend it’s been God of War Ragnarok most of the time. And then finished another scene in Nobody Wants to Die. Then when I need a break from the those heavy games I pick up either Dave the Diver or Balatro for something a bit lighter. Have a great weekend!

Played some Sekiro and I’ve been cleaning up odds and ends in Astro’s Playroom. I can’t wait for Astro Bot!

After playing so many games at the same timelast weekend, I try and stick with just one game, which is Actraiser Renaissance. I am in the Northlands playing on hard. It’s a slow and fun game, a bit repetitive.

Enjoy your games and have a good week everyone.

Well here we go with another wild WAYP. Been an exciting week around here. On the Switch I made it through most of my favorite chapter of Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door: Chapter 3 where I got a blue Yoshi which made me very happy. I think it’s just the vibes of the Glitz Pit that make it my favorite. Also made it to the last world in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble. Excited to wrap that one up. Also got that physical copy of Sea of Stars I mentioned before and I honestly kinda love it all over again. Otherwise I made it to the endgame of both Persona 3 Reload and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and I’m quite happy there. Thinking the rest of the weekend will just be a Persona 3 Reload weekend. If planned out right I could beat both it and FFVII Rebirth by next weeks journal. Wish me luck ahahaha. Otherwise I’m thinking this week is mostly gonna consist of some Paper Mario, more P3R, Trails Through Daybreak, FFVII Rebirth, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, Dragons Dogma 2, Sea of Stars and maybe trying to beat Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind before Emio releases later this month. It’s gonna be next week when all the preorders start rolling in like Star Wars Outlaws and Visions of Mana but I already got one preorder coming in this week with Concord. Genuinely kinda excited for that one as I enjoyed the beta. Also got preorders in this week on Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and Lollipop Chainsaw RePop so September will be very zombie filled ahahaha. Oh and I’ll get The Plucky Squire for free off of PS Plus so I’m also super hype on that. Almost bit on a preorder for Dragon Age The Veilguard butttttttt nah. Getting super hype for WWE Bash In Berlin too that’s gonna be kinda cool. I seriously can’t wait for Kevin Vs Cody, Rhea and Damian Vs Liv and Dirty Dom and GUNTHER Vs Randy Orten. Gonna say it’s a solid B Tier PLE. Anime of the week gotta go to Delicious in Dungeon. Yeah it’s the only one I watched this week but I also finished it and I can’t wait for more. Think I’m gonna get the box set so I can own all of the manga. Special shoutout to Emily in Paris on Netflix tho it just got a new season and after I figure out how to incorporate watching NXT alongside RAW and SMACKDOWN to complete my WWE collection you could say I think I’ll dive into Season 3 of Emily since that’s where I left off and catch up. Such a cute comfort show. Podcasts of this week gotta go to Castle Superbeast, Big Think Dimension, Into The Aether, RPGsites Tetracast, Minnmax, Jeff Gerstmann, Kit and Krysta, Last Stand Media, Easy Allies, Second Wind, Nextlander, Cultaholic Wrestling and Remap Radio. As always yall stay safe, be magnificent to each other. Have a fantastic weekend and of course Happy Gaming.

This weekend i beat Megaman X, X2 and X3. It was a journey. But, it was also kind of painful. 😂
Now i am looking forward to playing through the playstation entries. X4 to X6.

@ear_wig Dude I am in the middle of the exact same list of games.

@fleenerstrunk Nice! All fantastic games. I finish very few these days, between being pressed for time and SO many great ones coming out. Did finish Stellar Blade this year though!