Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 560

Will be enjoying Alan Wake 2.

I started the post-game on Suicide Squad Kills the Justice League yesterday… and I’ve heard that this is where the real boring grind begins. 😬

I am trying to get my play through of Alan Wake 2 finished so I can enjoy Astro Bot over the festive break! Playing as Saga is awesome but less so Alan! Want to do the DLC too so lots of darkness on this festive weekend!!

Happy Gaming folks

Greetings fellow gaming enthusiasts. On the menu over the festive period is Mario and Luigi Brothership, Metaphor ReFantazio, and Pokémon TCG Pocket. Merry Christmas, fellow gaming enthusiasts.

Got Stellar Blade this Thursday, put so far 12 hours and can say that it is my personal game of the year. Love all that it offers, great combat, superb characters and atmosphere and the OST is one of the best I heard in gaming (had to download it on Apple Music right away). hope to finish it in 2-3 weeks (going for the platinum).

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown- Got the Platinum trophy. A 9/10 game where the major negative is the 2.5D characters. Otherwise a genuine top 5 game for me this year. The best metroidvania I've played since Hollow Knight with much better controls and art style than Metroid Dread.
I think my top 5 games I played ranking would be:
Astro Bot (goty)
Armored Core VI
The Lost Crown
Stellar Blade
Jeanne D'arc

I’m still styling my way around Infinity Nikki, which is so peaceful and joyous that I can’t stop playing. If I manage to step away, I’ll try and tackle another Ace Attorney case.

@Mostik I too preferred Saga's sections over Alan by quite a large margin.

I'll definitely make time to try the Astro festive level. It would be rude not to give the time trials a go while I'm there. Ho ho ho.

Beyond that, Dredge, Hundred Heroes and Dark Souls II. Plus whatever the kids rope me into playing

Still really enjoying DA Veilguard, but Im nearly at the end of my playthrough - doing all side quests as I go.
Definitely my 2nd place GOTY, behind Astro, and I have still seen nothing worth even a small part of the often parroted 'criticism' aimed at this game at launch.

Other than this, starting my 1st playthrough of Hogwarts Legacy on Pro.

And I need to make time to try the demo of the new DWarriors game.

@Rich33 It's currently 40% off on the PS store which is very tempting and I plan on getting it next. How long is the game?

Balatro and cleaning up on Breakpoint today. Also purchased my very first gaming PC this week and the first game to install was Brotato 😂.
Happy gaming everyone and Merry Christmas.

I plan on continuing my playthrough of Skyrim for 5636th time 🙂

I just finished the excellent mafia definitive edition.after i beat mafia definitive edition i have to say its easily one of the best video games ever made wow.the story the plot twist at the end of the game.the graphics.the gameplay.the boss fights.the soundtracks is excellent.tommy angelo is a excellent protagonist.i also continue playing the awsome detroit becomes human.i will also continue playing one of the greatest video games ever made in the amazing dragon age inquisition game of the year edition.im playing jaws of hakkon dlc.after that i will be close to the end and finish it. and i will be continue playing one of the best fps ever in the incredible titanfall 2.i will be watching my boston Celtics 💚🖤 play.and i will watch my Pittsburgh Steelers 💛🖤 play.and i will watch legendary sitcoms tv 📺 comedy shows in family matters.good times.sanford and son.different strokes.the Jeffersons.and saved by the bell.word up son

Finishing up Epic Mickey after a week and a half of some very dark and intriguing looks into Disney's past. The visuals are gloomy yet creative, the paint mechanics well integrated, and the story full of twists and turns. It's not the journey I expected to take with the famous mouse, but it's been great fun.

Finished:
1. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Champhionship Edition
I got the bad ending and the good ending by collected 7 orbs which some of them wasn't easy. I give this game a 9/10. I had a blast and definitely reccomended for anyone who enjoyed metroidvania 👍👍

2. Mafia: Definitive Edition
I played the og game eons ago on PC but this remake is pretty good. I gave it a 7.5/10.

Playing:
1. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
I'm still at Apollo Justice episode 3: Turnabout Serenade day 2. So far i'm enjoying this game although the new mechanic feels a bit...weird.

2. Ikaruga
Bought it from PSN holiday sale for $4 and hot dang this game is kicking my ass. Probably the most challenging shmup i ever played.

3. Time Splitters 2
Bought it from PSN holiday sale for $2 and so far i'm enjoying the game. Currently i'm at stage 2 Chicago.

4. SteamWorld Dig
Bought it from PSN holiday sale for less than $1. So far i'm enjoying the gameplay loop from digging, collecting, upgrading, and the platforming.

I also bought physical copy of Okami HD PS4. But i'm not gonna touch it until i'm done with one of these games.

Have a great weekend and holiday everyone 🍻🥳

Just got the Plat for Bugsnax, I'll probably play some Hades. Not getting into anything else right now as I have new games coming on Xmas day.

Bit of a boring update as Im still playing the same games as last weekend, however I did end up getting a ps5 pro. The games first 🙂

Indy - Love this game. Really hits that big adventure feeling I’ve missed since the last Uncharted and Tomb Raider games. Great story, great sense of exploration and discovery. Cant wait to play more!

Behemoth PSVR 2 - Im in the last part of the game I think. The third part of the game wasnt as good as the first two imo but its picking up again in the fourth part. Its still a bit buggy at times and controls could be a bit more precise, but its still very fun to play imo. Dual wielding and axe and a sword at the moment, both of which you can throw and retrieve Kratos style. Pretty awesome! But, I would still recommend waiting for some patches and probably a sale!

Ps5 pro - so, I got the ”perfect excuse” to get one as the kids have been playing on my old Ps4 which is now starting to give up it feels like. First I thought Id get them a ps5 slim but then I thought its not that much more for a pro and they can have my ps5. So everyone wins, right? 😁 I gotta say Im pretty happy with the pro and the improvements to the games thats got a pro patch, especially for the first party games. It looks amazing in performance pro mode 🤩
Now, I just need a better TV and it just so happens that we need a new one in the cabin… 😉

I have got back into Tekken 8 recently so will be trying to learn some characters I didn’t really gel with before. Other than that it’s more Blops 6, Dragon Age Veilguard, Indiana Jones and Path of Exile 2.

Just finished DA Veilguard ..loved it, despite some ropey dialogue
Gotta help with shopping and pre Xmas stuff or the wife will be in a rage if I just play STALKER 2 all weekend but will sneak in some late night sessions of WOW The War Within which is outstanding.
Looking forward to some new Christmas games in Indiana Jones and Helldivers 2 - just hoping i haven't missed the boat on that !
We bought my daughter Astrobot for Xmas so I'll be stealing that when she's not looking 🤣🤣
Merry Christmas to you and all your families guys and gals ❤️🎅

Besides The First Descendant, I don’t know. So many games to play but so little time. I work this weekend so won’t have much play time so this coming week will be my days to play as I get off work early or have days off. Might get on A Space for the Unbound and attempt that soccer juggling mini game. I’m very interested in the story but my god do the mini games in it suuuuuuuck. What makes it worse is if you want the true/good ending, you have to complete all the mini games. Really puts me off from wanting to play it.

Also will pay bills and see if I get myself a VR2 since it’s $200 off. I really don’t need it but I want a shiny new gadget and it’s Christmas. I deserve it I guess??

PoE2 for me with some warhammer 40k darktide thrown in too..maybe a helldivers 2 session later on this evening. Have a great weekend everybody 👍

Playing more Indiana Jones on the Xbox today and will be playing it takes two on Sunday. Really tempted to treat myself to a game in the January sale but I’ve already got a huge backlog so probably won’t

[Edit/update - Scratch all that, free FFXI login campaign BABYYYY!]

I've been in more of a show bingeing mood than gaming, kinda in a holding pattern until crimbo) so I picked up a month of Netflix's cheap tier for a fiver and I've been watching stuff like Pantheon (fantastic) Dandadan (So goood) Delicious In Dungeon (Need more now) and other stuff.

Actual games - I decided to replay Nioh 1 because I never did the expansions and Infinity Nikki even though i got put off that by a nasty interaction with a member of the Nikki community.

Still working on beating this Super Mario Keychain and finally finishing Stardew Valley

I’m playing a bit more of the adorable Moss 1 & 2 in VR, and ploughing through Talos Principal 2, and Doom 2016 as a palette cleanser.

Tonight, I shall be celebrating with the traditional Christmas movie, Die Hard, and some Family Guy.

Happy Dipsoluscious Vaction folks!

@breakneck
I am probably the last person to ask game length lol - I take my time on games trying to do / explore everything and end up with really inflated playtimes! But I suppose I do get my moneys worth!
Please factor that in with what I have said.
(I also wasnt sure which game u were referring to)

Hogwarts is a medium length game, probably somewhere around the same length as GOWR, and maybe a bit longer than GOW or SM2, particularly if you turn the difficulty right up like I do because either it is very easy or I am very good at it (I have seen odd youtube videos and guides and always think they make hard work of it!). If you play at normal difficulty and dont do all the (excellent) side content it could be much shorter. But I would still recommend doing anything involving sebastian 1st before even the main quest - good quests and you get the best spells.

DAV is a lot longer - my playthrough is a couple of hundred hours, but a lot of this is side content / trying to do everything, though this is necessary to upgrade your gear fully, and to get the best ending. Whilst some of the side content is the normal 'bulk', there are some full separate storylines contained within companion and area side quests.
Explore fully during quests (for chests) as some quest areas lock you out afterwards.

Hope that helps.

On The Pro Final Fantasy Rebirth, Metaphor and Silent Hill 2. Series X Indiana Jones and Stalker 2

After played Hell let loose for about 1300 hours I bought Arma reforger yesterday as I needed a new millsim. So Arma reforger for me for the next months.

Have a great weekend.

I picked up Stellar Blade, but it's not really holding my interest yet. I'll try putting in another hour or two.

@Blauwe_Chimay I'm interested to know how you like Arma. I'm super tempted by it, but I'm just not ready to drop 40 on it quite yet.

Hopefully finish RISE of the Ronin and also playing GT7. Love both games. Then will start the year with FF7 Rebirth. Also played the new free level of Astrobot. It's really cool. They could have easily charge a few bucks for that but it's free. Hell yeah! Good times.

More Indy hopefully and some Spider-Man 2, which I’m trying really hard to like. It’s not a terrible game but it’s the most pedestrian 8/10 game I’ve ever played thus far, ho hum.

Merry Festivus Everyone!

XBSX - Indy, Forza Motorsport and AoE4
PS5Pro - Bust-a-Move 2, Astros Playroom and WRC Generations (much better than I was expecting, really enjoying using the bumper cam view).

Have a good one & Merry Christmas

Properly started Indiana Jones and the Great Circle last night, so hopefully going to get stuck in to that when I can.

KCD is still tempting too, however. And it pairs so nicely with Andrzej Sapkowski's 'The Tower of Fools'

JCBP and have a happy holidays

Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. Started it yesterday and I was blown away with how well it holds up graphics-wise. I know I will love playing through the whole trilogy that I got in the sale.
Also a bit of WRC24 and GT7 on the side. Will also be watching The Expanse on Amazon Prime. Fantastic show so far (I’m midway through the third season and loving it).

Hello there fellow gamers.
This weekend will probably finish Hellblade 2 and continue my Metaphor Refantazio journey on my Series X.
On my PS5, I´m currently playing Black Myth Wukong and Street Fighter 6 online...... And maybe will play more Clive in Tekken 8.
Cheers everyone and happy gaming weekend to us all

@Zuljaras remember, even if it takes a while to get into, keep going. Even people that love the Witcher (me) initially took quite a while to really click with it and get it, and maybe even put the game down for about a year before trying again. But once you do pass that period it's obvious why the box says "over 1000 awards" 😁

See you on the path ⚔️

Bioshock Infinite, which I haven't played since launch on PS3. So good, still! Just finished the campaign and about to start the DLCs (for the first time).

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I wasn't expecting this but started Coffee Talk and got pulled in. Enjoying the story and characters.

May try Phogs later too and if can get time with my wife to game may try Biped too.

May be in the minority here but been a good month on playstation plus for me. Like trying shorter indie games I may have missed or dismissed

@breakneck Yeah mate, the deeper I get into it the more I just want to follow her story! Great game though!

Glad you enjoyed PoP, it is definitely in my top 2 this year, just pipped by Astro. Such a shame they closed this studio, would have loved a second. (how annoying was the pirate parrot quest trophy )

@Neverwild my GOTY 2023. Loved it from start to finish

I'm currently prepping to go on holiday next week, so might not be able to play much this weekend.
Will try and fit in some more Patapon Remastered and a bit more Astro Bot (currently on my second playthrough) if time allows.

Stay safe, and Merry Xmas everyone!

@dardel stellar blade is my surprise of 2024. It was not on my radar at all but tried the demo and it instantly became my birthday present game off my wife.

If Astro Bot had not come out it would have been my GOTY. Loved the combat, atmosphere and soundtrack.

I heard bad things about the English voice over dub but I didn't find it bad at all.

It felt like a PS3 throwback(but a gorgeous one) and to me that's no bad thing

I'm currently playing Path of Exile 2, doing a fresh run on FFVII Rebirth on the Pro and playing abit of Zenless Zone Zero.

@trymer89 I really enjoyed the remaster/remake. I couldn't get on with the original. Awful controls and camera, too dark and the underpowered Wii really let down the art style.

Rebrushed was a great effort

@Perturbator love infinite. The ending was brilliant.

DLC was really good too.

Hello there friends

@Zuljaras buddy, you are in for a treat. Witcher 3 is one of the best rpgs ever made and it has the best expassions ever made also. It´s my oppinion, but trust me it´s that good.

@PuppetMaster (great name by the way) Guacamelee! Super Turbo Champhionship Edition is so good. The second game is even better. Loved the humour as well.
And Ikaruga...... First played it on Dreamcast and then on GameCube. And yes, t´s quite difficult at first. But there is actually a tell, or a pattern to it. Challenging but a lot of fun.

@playstation1995 my man what´s good? Mafia: Definitive Edition is a really good remake of a great game.
Can´t wait for Mafia The Old Country. That trailer looked great.
And Family Matters is an old tv classic. One of the bests.

Cheers guys, have a good one and word up son 👍

Lies of P, love it! I just best Laxasia, I think I’m reaching the end.

Cyberpunk 2077. Just about to murder all of those Voodoo Boys.

I’ll be chugging away at rise of the ronin on the 5 and axiom verge on the vita.

Alice: Madness Returns

Started it earlier in the week thanks to a recommendation on here and have been loving it so far.

undisputed and robocop hidden cats

This weekend I’m out of town on a Christmas vacation with my wife and daughter. However, yesterday, before heading out, I finished Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The second to last word should be “fantastic” instead of “great” because that’s what it is; and is easily a GOTY contender.

Unfortunately, a couple of achievements are bugged for me, preventing me from obtaining 1000/1000 gamer-score. I have 42/45 achievements. I hope that will get patched at some point.

In the meantime, I plan on hopping back into my save of Stalker 2. I was enjoying it immensely but put it on hold for Indiana Jones. To my understanding, I made the right decision due to the latest patch it received. I wasn’t experiencing any issues prior to setting it aside, so knowing it only got better is wonderful news. GSC Game World is cooking right now and firing on all cylinders.

Working on Nine Sols and deep into Metaphor Refantazio.

However having watched Secret Level I feel like Space Marines 2 is back on the menu, along with the new HellDivers 2 update (which is very good by the way).

Edit. Forgot to add in POE 2 as an absolute gem of ARPG goodness.

I got a nice trifecta going with Stalker 2 and Indiana Jones on Xbox and DQ11 on Switch. My PS5 is MIA for now. Have a good weekend!

I'm still trying to get caught up on Zenless Zone Zero.
I kind of hate how good this game has gotten since launch. I used to just log in for my dailies and the just do a story mission when I had some time. Now the roster is more fleshed out, the gameplay is way more dynamic and I care way too much about my character build.

Damn you Hoyo, you got me hooked again.

Possibly Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but I doubt I’ll get the time. If not I might squeeze in some Cyberpunk and Megaman X Drive Offline on Steam Deck.

Astro Bot!! This isn’t game of the year. It’s one of the best 3D platformers of all time. Brilliant.

Better late than never: My brother and I are trying out Helldivers 2 for the first time, and it's pretty damn good.

Spreading some festive democracy throughout the galaxy!

@RaZieLDaNtE whats good playa.yeah mafia is amazing.and yeah family guy is a wonderful sitcoms tv 📺 comedy show.word up son

ESO, of course. And Jedi: Survivor. Thinking about also getting back into Diablo.

@Mintie FYI apparently there’s a second season of Pantheon but it’s not on any streaming service. Seen enough people recommend this show so it’s gonna be a priority for me to watch but damn these companies for burying shows and needing to dig through the internet to watch them. Also if you haven’t seen Scavengers Reign, give it a watch on Netflix. It’s another fantastic animated show that got canceled by stupid suits.

Started playing Star Wars Outlaws. I absolutely love it, such a great living breathing world to explore, highly recommend it if you've been considering it.

Whatever you are playing this weekend, I hope you have fun!

I have the next week and a half off work so I'll be bashing my head against the (seemingly) endless supply of bosses in the absolutely excellent Black Myth: WUKONG. And when I'm not doing that, I'll be diving into COD: Black Ops 6 MP for little bit.
Beyond that, it's just going to be spending time w/ family and friends and cheering on my Detroit Red Wings and especially my Detroit Lions as they make the final push to the playoffs!! As well, I might try and take in an Arsenal match since I'll be able to get up early enough to watch them. Hope everyone has a great weekend gaming and doing whatever you like best!

@Titntin I was looking forward to that for a long time (what can I say, I like Ubisoft games) and ended up not getting it with the furore surrounding it and having plenty to play anyway. It's great to read a ringing endorsement and I am tempted by the 45 and change price point it's at currently.

@DETfaninATL Your name makes sense now. Detroit fan in Atlanta? 😅
I'm no Detroit fan, but I do genuinely wish the Lions the best of luck! Heaven knows they haven't had any pretty much their entire existence! They'll have to play better D than they did against Buffalo. Josh Allen is a damn beast, though! I'm a Jets fan so I know all about the suck. Go home to California, Rodgers! 😂

In a Christmas Gotham this morning I finished Arkham Origins. Very good game but hampered by dreadful framerate issues.
Trying to decide on what to play for the break now either Alan Wake 2 or RE4.
Happy Xmas everyone

@Blauwe_Chimay ...is Arma Reforger good ? Very tempted by this. I've got Arma 3 for PC but hardly bothered with it