Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 384

I have been working through my 3rd tier backlogs games, Leisure Suit Larry, Ghostbusters, Hat in time and a Sexy Brutale. I finally picked up Death Stranding so will be giving that my full attention next week. Go England!

With Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart sadly finished, I’ll be going back to my recently started 'first ever' playthrough of The Last of Us Part II. I’m 6 hours in and absolutely LOVING it so far!

I've been a boring contributor to these posts the past couple weeks.

I just cannot get enough of FFXIV, such an amazing game. Apex Legends, Returnal, or DOOM in between for when I need something more fast paced.

Happy Gaming PS fam!

Really enjoying Scarlet Nexus. I'm nearing the end of Yuito's play through. I'll probably play the Kasane route at a later date.

Fun combat, nice visuals, slightly bonkers anime story.

@The_Pixel_King That's dope man, I was really surprised how dynamic the gameplay was by just adding a dodge button. Melee combat feels so smooth, and looks great too. Any favorite moments so far (without spoilers)?

Continuing with Dark Souls 2, have also downloaded Red Dead Redemption 2 which is now on PS Now, sold my copy a while ago, just couldn't get into it, will see how it goes this time.

Rooting for England from across the pond here in the US. Still playing Scarlet Nexus and switching between my three mains in GG Strive as I climb the tower. Hopefully a few rounds of Mario Rabbids on Switch, and lastly hoping to start Judgment since it arrived on PSNow.

Working on my Chicory platinum and maybe some FF7 Remake Intermission

Finished the main story in Spider-Man last night so going to be getting stuck into the DLCs, starting with The Heist. Need to pay my respects beforehand though and that will be the Platinum.

😉

I think I've enjoyed my second playthrough more than my first. I guess that's because I haven't needed to do all the extra content (damn pigeons!), so the story flowed a lot more. It's such a well made game and extremely fun to play. Really good story (with one or two flaws), interesting characters and topped off with a brilliant score. The music in this game is better than that in any of the non-Raimi Spidey films.

Other than that I'll probably go back to Astro as there is one section I've yet to complete and thoughts have turned to what to play next. I'm thinking either Resi 3 or starting ME 2.

Oh and come on England, bring it home. Italy will be tough but we can do it!

Bioshock (ps4/5) - finished bioshock infinite 3 days ago and the burial at sea expansion 2 days ago and I finally decided to get over my fear and play 1 and 2 too.

Bioshock 2 (ps4/5) - see the description above.

Not much this weekend, just playing a series I should’ve played 14 years ago but was too scared to do so.

Started playing Bloodborne a couple of weeks ago and I just can't get enough of this game, it's fantastic. I've unfortunately got exams very close though, meaning I can play it on the occasional evening, but not for very long. Looking forward to August when I can spend all day playing this masterpiece!

All work and no play this weekend (as well as football coming home hopefully). May try to squeeze some Mass Effect 3 in though. Have a good one folks!

Infamous second son and titanfall 2. 2 amazing games. With amazing graphics.gameplay and stories.word up son

Continuing my bug and fish hunts in animal crossing new horizons on switch.

For ps4, shenmue 3 or infamous first light.

Far Cry 3, just got to the second island, need to climb a few more towers then go after the boss. As far as the story goes, I think I prefer 4 and 5 because they didn't seem to take themselves as seriously.

Hopefully finishing Trails of Cold Steel IV this weekend. I’m in the final act!

Act 3 of Returnal then the survey trophies. Will hopefully see England lift the cup as well.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) - Made it to Chapter 4, seem to have been captured by the antagonist. Looking forward to seeing where this goes from here!

Minecraft: Story Mode (Win 10) - Starting on Episode 2 now.

Lines: The Game (Windows Phone) - Finally at the end now.

Watching England beat Italy in 2021 Final ( yikes hopefully ) otherwise Mass Effect Trilogy on 2nd play of ME1 for Platinum
Also started CoD Modern Warfare 2 Remastered and forgot what a storming, state of the art shooter the campaign is and it looks stunning on PS5
Also will be carrying on Crusader Kings3 on PC - I'm trying to be a loving ruler but just keep being an evil git and executing everyone and fathering 7 kids with 4 women ( in game too 🤣 )

Far Cry Primal! I like the setting, enjoy interaction with the fauna, but miss Them Big Ole Gunz😊

Other tha the football tomorrow, i am playing Yakuza Like a Dragon (still) and Sackboy on my PS5.

I've reached chapter 12 on Yakuza which i understand includes a ridiculous difficulty spike, so i'll see how i get on with that as it could be my dropping off point as i dont have untold hours to spare for grinding - as much as i am enjoying it, the combat is the weakest part and it takes way too long to level up.

Depending what happens with Yakuza, i'll start episode intermission in FF7 R Integrade.

I am also playing Astro Aqua Kitty and Root Letter on Vita

As a proud Welsh woman, I will be cheering on Italy tomorrow. 🇮🇹😂 But apart from that playing some good old lego DC super villains and some Stardew Valley on the side.

I took a little brake from FFXIV to play some Scarlet Nexus. Almost done with the Kasane run. Will finish that up this weekend and will eventually start Yuito's at another time.

However I feel like I betrayed my main on FFXIV so will continue my playthrough through Stormblood. I think I'm over half way through and the story finally starts to pick up.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. Really enjoying this, part side scrolling brawler, part farming sim mashup. The combat is straight up Vanillaware so feels a lot like Muramasa Rebirth or Odin Sphere which is great and when I'm not smashing stuff to bits, I'm growing rice. Very cool game!

It’s been over 2 weeks since I earned a platinum and I’m starting to get withdrawal symptoms so I’ll be finishing Bugsnax then possibly start the pathless or a plagues tale

@Link41x

Golden Abyss really is quite entertaining. It has less set-pieces than the main entries and there are more puzzles, but this is no bad thing at all. The use of the Vita-unique features is well implemented and adds a little more interest to the puzzles.

I finally finished Mass Effect 3 and wow what a trilogy that is absolutely loved playing through them all again. I've now jumped into Scarlet Nexus and have really enjoyed what I've played so far so thats probably where most of my time will go. Though I still continue to chip away at Trails in the Sky SC on Vita.

Just got Like a Dragon, so I’ll be playing that as much as I have time for. Already loving it.

Dragon age andromeda, slaps and beans and playing some basketball in a speedo in Olympic games Tokyo 2020 the official video game of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic games or whatever it officially called.

Probably back to Ratchet, I feel like a bit of a party pooper as everyone says it is great but to be honest I'm enjoying it in the moment, but overall finding it a bit of a slog. Once it's done I'm going to set myself the task of completing RDR2 before it leaves Now. Wish me luck!

Huntdown and it’s 16-Bit goodness. For anyone who hasn’t played it, treat yourself as best £15 retro game I’ve ever played

Mafia Trilogy. That little county Sinclair Parish from the Faster Baby DLC in Mafia 3 captures the country atmosphere almost perfectly. Plus any of these: HZD, RDRII, GTAV etc.

PS5: Mass Effect 2
Series S: Halo 2 (Master Chief Collection)
Oh and Forza Italia!

Really getting stuck into Salt and Sanctuary now. Got through three bosses last night.

And the closer the final gets, the more I think we'll win it. Just got to defeat Italy, the most fearsome last boss of all.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PS5. Also, took the PS Vita out of storage to play Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition which I managed to get a copy of recently. Can't believe I didn't buy that game sooner. Perfect for portable play, even if it's older it still holds up well. Wish Sega would bring VT back.

Still playing Guilty Gear Strive and Virtua Fighter 5.

Just started Judgement and loving it so far. Wilmbledon and Euro will be keeping me busy as well! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

@Gamer83 great times with VT

Started Demon’s Souls so will carry on with dying in that. Also got one last trophy to get in Rift Apart so will try and wrap that up.

Finished the RE7: End of Zoe DLC in one sitting. Felt pretty badass just beating the spores out of mold monsters with almost nothing but your bare fists. If you haven't played it, it's only about 90 minutes long, so definitely buy it on sale. Even then, it's kind of a lot of money for what you actually get, which is a puzzle-less RE themed Punch Out with a little bit of exploration. If that sounds cool, it kindof is, but it won't be for everyone.

I fell victim to the sale this week and picked up 5 games for the backlog. Deciding to eliminate one of them this weekend in Forgotton Anne. Surprised I never heard of it. Quite good so far. Adventure game with charming characters and a studio ghibli art style.

Let's go Italy! In honor of our friend, Super Mario! <3

I'll be playing League of Legends cause I don't have much time this weekend!

Yakuza Like a Dragon - just started Chapter 6. Love the combat, especially bosses, a lot more now that I have a roster big enough to swap people out. Balance feels better.

Taking my time with Kentucky Route Zero as well - in the middle of Act II.

Trails of Cold Steel and Guilty Gear: Strive. Also maybe some smaller games!

Not a football fan but being a Scotsman demands I support the Italians this weekend.

It's going to Rome
It's going to Rome
Footballs going to Rome 😜

Have a great weekend everyone!

I started SD Gundam G Generations Genesis on the Switch. Bit disappointed that even in historical missions based on the events in Gundam media I am forced to use original characters and MS made for the sub-series. That’s what SRW OG was created for.

Alongside that playing through Doom (2016) on PS4 for fast paced fun, if anything it’s proven to me that despite the lower resolution and FPS on the Switch version, it ran very well and was just as enjoyable.

It has to be said, I've not really played anything while the euro's has been on apart from a few short bursts on Wreckfest (PS4), Fall guys & FIFA 21. Just seen that UFC 4 is now in the vault on EA Play so I'll be starting that next week and picking up where I left off on jedi fallen order.

It's coming home!

Is there a soccer tournament going on? I had no idea.

Anyways… 😛 I’ll probably have another go at the third boss in Returnal. If (or when) I feel my blood pressure boiling over from failure, I’ll put on the PS5 version of A Plague Tale: Innocence and finish my playthrough. Thanks Asobo for updating to make PS4 saves port over!

After wrapping up Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart a few days ago, I'm now doing my first time ever Renegade FemShep playthrough of Mass Effect.

Picked up Watch Dogs Legion Ultimate Edition last week on sale and went in with low expectations. But I have been delighted with how fun it is. Reminds me a lot of Infamous, and the play how you want and who you want is very cool. Not sure if the game has been improved since launch or maybe it just fell victim to a crowded launch window last year, but I am having a ton of fun.

Also tried The Crew 2 demo and while the lack of 60fps, HDR and 4K are disappointing, races seem fun. Surprised so many people are (still) playing this game, may give it another hour or two and see what I think. A PS5 makeover would be great.

Also playing a lot of the Cartels in Borderlands 3, such a fun map, and 80s vibe. Glad it’s back and now permanent. I do like the new weekly and daily challenges, and have been mopping up some old side quests I never finished.

Returnal for me once I finish work. Loving it so far.

Returnal. 3 survey trophies needed for the platinum, i just hope the rng gods are with me for the ciphers!!!

@TraCuz- Oh yeah, man! The game feels (and looks) just so much better than the first game, in pretty much every way. I’m playing on PS5, so 60FPS, the combat feels so much more visceral and, well, punchy. The story has hit me hard on a couple of occasions so far. At one point, I simply set the controller down on the sofa next to me and stared at the TV for a minute or two with my jaw on the floor. I know Part II has picked up some flack, but I’ve pretty much kept myself completely spoiler-free up until now and, so far, I’m in love with the game. It’s hard, horrible, gut-punching and ugly in all the right ways. I’m still early in of course, but I think the game is utterly incredible.

@somnambulance How is Chicory, man? I don’t have a single indie on PS5 yet, and I’m really tempted to pick it up. It’s from FINJI, so I know it must be at least pretty good, right? I don’t tend to read reviews of games I plan on buying, but I do know it has picked up a bunch of 9’s!

Playing nothing on Sunday - COME ON YOU 3 LIONS !

I'm sorry to burst your bubble but we cannot lose to a team hasn't seen a finale in 55 years 😘😂

@The_Pixel_King Congrats on staying relatively spoiler-free, you're in for a great ride man! Naughty Dog are masters at what they do.

On the note of a PS5 indie, look into The Pathless. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Plagues Tale PS5, just a few trophies to finish for the Platinum 😎 Very nice PS+ game

I will be playing Dragon Quest 11! Started it last night and it is fantastic.
Also, i might start TLOU2 all over again.

1. Scarlet Nexus.

43hrs in and still having a blast. And Luka is basically playing as “Number Five” from The Umbrella Academy 😎 love it!

2. MH Stories 2 ( PC)

When streaming it over RainWay in bed from my PC gives me better performance than playing it native on my Switch... you know the screen is not what Nintendo needs to update (love it so far)

Anyone in the US heatwave. Be safe - Stay indoors and play games!

@TraCuz- Hi there fellow gamers.
Having finished Spiderman Miles Morales on PS5,
what a "Spectacular" game that was. Get it, Spectacular? No? Nevermind 😜
Now it´s finally time for the beautiful and colorful
Rachet and Clank Rift Apart on PS5.
A few more fights in the absolutely gorgeous and super fun Guilty Gear Strive, also on PS5.
And more Mass Effect Andromeda on PC. That game is big.
And you were right @TraCuz. The ending of Spiderman Miles Morales was something else. It was a great personal story, just like some of the best Spiderman stories are.
Cannot wait for Spiderman 2.
Cheers, stay safe everyone and happy gaming weekend to us all

I finished Yakuza: Like A Dragon and it was fantastic. I absolutely loved the close knit friendship that Ichiban and the gang had and some of the twists were great. Defo my favourite Yakuza game along with Yakuza 0.

COME ON ENGLAND!!!

Loving the Guilty Gear Strive online play. Somehow it's much more relaxing than Mortal Kombat, despite being a much faster and more frantic game.
Sticking to non-ranked matches today, just went first-to-10 (not that it was something both players agreed on in advance, we just kept rematching) in a Chipp mirror match and won 10:8. To be fair though, I think it was their secondary character

@The_Pixel_King Hi there friend.
Glad you are enjoying one of the best adult videogame completely spoiler free. And on PS5 no less.
It still baffles me how Naughty Dog were able to make such a compelling, human nature story of loss and redemption that could surpass the first game, in my oppinion.
The game has some amazing moments, both from a story perspective and from gameplay elements and mechanics.
Truly an amazing game and a fantastic sequel.
I used to say I didn´t want a sequel, but now, I´m actualy hoping for a Part 3.
And whatever Naughty Dog decides to do next.
Cheers, stay safe and have a good one

@Voltan Hi there friend.
We should defnitely play some Guilty Gear Strive matches, since I main Chipp as well as Ky. Love those two characters since the very first GG The Missing Link on PS1.
Used to be super good, then I took an arrow to the knee 😜
My PSN profile is RaZielDaNtE84
We should invite @Omnistalgic as well. He likes fighting games to. See ya at the GGS Park.
Cheesr, stay safe and have a good one

@RaZieLDaNtE Cool, I'll add you right now and I'll be back online a little later
Could use a little practice against Ky!

@RaZieLDaNtE Unfortunately my PS app can't seem to find you - maybe your profile is private?
See if you can add theVoltan instead.

edit: I figured it out

@RaZieLDaNtE ..hi there Raz ! Guilty Gear Strive has to be one of the best brawlers ever made right ? A true stunner and the most addictive hard-core fighter in years, glad you're enjoying it, might see you online sometime

FFXIV, FFXIII and Dishonored Death of the Outsider

Persona 5 (again) and Genshin

@RaZieLDaNtE Yo what's up man, glad you enjoyed Miles! Such a nice compact story, some would even say... Spectacular . Cheers on Ratchet! Also I've been really wanting to get into Guilty Gear, but I already know I'm going to play it pretty casually and not too often since I'm really into other game atm. Probably gonna wait for a sale, looks like smashing fun!

Rocket League. It's always Rocket League.

@RaZieLDaNtE Hey, buddy. Thanks for your reply. Yep, it’s a wonderful game so far. So much so, in fact, that I’d be gobsmacked if it doesn’t go on to be one of my favourite games of recent years. Today ran away from me, but I’m hoping to get back into playing more in the coming days. Enjoy your weekend and stay safe my friend!

@somnambulance That’s all I needed to hear. I’ll definitely pick up Chicory as soon as I can. Thanks for the reply! 🙂

@Daleaf Nice. How many hours on the clock?

I went back to ranked GG after losing a bunch to stronger players in the park and got promoted to 8th floor, which looks kinda cool (I didn't realize lobbies had complete different designs on different floors).

ffvii , im a cantona fan haven't watched football since he left 🤣

Probably going to grab WRC 9 on sale and get into it. Might wait for the F! 2021 review though...

Finally got the platinum on Rift Apart. Encountered an unusual bug, I had completed the 3 Glitch story missions and had all gold bolts yet didn't get the Glitch trophy. Surely I must have completed all 5 Glitch missions then? I had to play through on Challenge Mode and when I got to the last Glitch for a gold bolt I got the trophy. Here's the thing though, that last glitch mission with the super virus was completely new to me. So how on earth did I get that gold bolt first time around? Lol weird.

death stranding, and mlb 21 the show!

Outriders and a bit of fifa 21 to get in the spirit of things..seeing as my team didnt win the champions league final this year it felt like justice was served to take MCFC to the finals and win..my brothers birthday yesterday so i treated him to a day at the golf course and 36 holes later i think its safe to say he hates me..🤣

Making it slowly through Spider-Man Remastered.

Last of Us 2 on PS4, The Show on Series S and Mario on Switch.

A Plague Tale on PS5 and Wildermyth on PC after a stellar review on Eurogamer. And pointedly trying to avoid all football.

Got the plat on Mass Effect 2 last night. A bit of PES and maybe Demon's Souls until the tennis and football... Forza Azzurri!!!

I'm still on with Nioh 2, beat the base game and now I'm working my way through Way of The Strong to get the last few trophies I need for Plat and to get to Way of The Demon so i can do the DLCs and tackle the difficulty related trophies attached to them... Thankfully Wise and Nioh difficulties aren't needed for trophies even though I'll eventually end up doing them as well.

@KingPev Hi there King.
yeah, GG Strive is so much fun and beautiful to look at.
Add me on PSN: RaZieLDaNtE84 for some online matches.
See ya at the GG Park.
Cheers, stay safe and have a good one

@RaZieLDaNtE Accept my invite though

@TraCuz- Hi there friend.
This is my very first Ratchet and Clank game (I know, shame on me). I was more into Jak and Daxter at the time. But I was blown away of what I saw, and from what I played, t´s gonna be great.
Insomniac games rock.
As for Guilty Gear, or any fighting game for that matter, as long as your having fun playing the game, that´s all that counts.
I´ve been playing fighting games from the begining and no matter how good or bad I am, if they are fun, I´ll keep playing.
Cheers, stay safe and have a good one

@Voltan I´ll do it as soon as possible 😜👍
And done!
I´m already there, doing some training 😉
See ya soon

@The_Pixel_King It really is one of the best games I have ever played. It is because of games like this one that I love videogames so much. Rich, compelling story, interesting characters, awesome gameplay and crazy good graphics.
The final part is gonna wreck you.
It wrecked me. Made think about the game weeks after finishing it the first time. So good.
Cheers, stay safe and have good one

Replaying Plague tale on PS5, I'd forgotten just how charming this game is, also playing some Doom Ethernal....

@DrJames Death Stranding was sooo good. Got the platinum in around 110 hours. I really hope they don't have auto-pop trophies on the ps5 upgrade as I will go for the platinum again. I really, really loved that game.

@PossibLeigh Scottish?

😝

@Col_McCafferty Haha, no, English. But I've been on the receiving end of bullying several times for not being interested in football, so it's made me dig my heels in. Nothing against the game, I enjoy a kick around, just don't like the thuggery it seems to inspire in some people.

Hope everyone else enjoys it though!

Lots and lots of Yakuza Like A Dragon.

@PossibLeigh The people it 'inspires' to commit violence are very much a minority of football fans.

I've been to numerous games over the years and mixed with plenty of opposition fans, and I've seen very little violence if any.

Well, enjoy the rest of your day anyway.

I just got the platinum from Plague Tale ps5 upgrade. It was so good, the first time I played it! Going to play something lite until Hades comes out. Not sure what, yet. Probably Transistor.

Still playing Battlefield 1 story. Also jumping back into a current replay of Titanfall 2 on PS4. And on XBOX ONE X I’m in chapter 2 of Gears 5 Hivebusters.

Playing the amazing Last of Us 2 and also Ghost of Sushi. Sneaking in Wimbledon too, but missing Nadal & not enjoying Joker lol.

Playing some matches against @RaZieLDaNtE right now. It’s pretty close

Edit: and then it wasn't

@Col_McCafferty Not violence, but verbal abuse and just being considered 'wrong' for not supporting a team or having any interest in it. I'm not into any sports, but football fans* in particular seem to take it as a personal slight and don't seem to understand people have different interests.

*Not all, obs, and my experiences are from a long while back, so maybe it's changed now, but I've never had the same hostility from, say, rugby fans.

Anyway, cheers chap. Enjoy your foot to ball! I'll enjoy avoiding it (it's likey to be on the TV in the living room anyway).

Dead cells. Doom eternal. Valhalla.

On PS, I’m giving Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart’s challenge mode a go. On switch, I’m playing through Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

This entire weekend has been dedicated to Monster Hunter Stories 2 so far! What an amazing game. Will be marathoning that game until Skyward Sword comes out next Friday. Happy gaming everyone!

Tried to get into WWE Battlesgrounds. Awful game. Started Aragami and completed no kill run in the same day. Currently doing my all kill run.

@Voltan It was some good and fun matches.
It was also a learning experience, just like it should be.
I´ll even the score next time 😉
Cheers, stay safe and all the best