Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 393

More Guilty Gear and Hades while the backlog grows lol

I started The Artful Escape on Gamepass yesterday and it’s really good so going to continue playing that this weekend. I recommend anyone with Gamepass to at least give it a go.

After reading the Lost in Random review here I might just treat myself to that on PS and play that this weekend too.

Indie is where it’s at at the moment, some great titles over the past couple of months.

Assassins Creed Valhalla and Life is Strange True Colours for me this week. Trying to restrain myself from buying tales of arise, lost judgment and Deathloop in the coming weeks because my backlog is insane

Making use of massive backlog on PS4 with performance boost on PS5. Truly amazing how many quality games there are in backlog that play better on PS5.

Tales of Arise!

Alien Fireteam and LiS: True Colours arrived this morning but I’ve mostly been replaying RE: Village this week. I’m on the fence about starting a new game on Village of Shadows difficulty. I have a fully upgraded S.T.A.K.E., Grenade Launcher and Dragoon, all with unlimited ammo. I think it will be a cake walk except for the Heisenberg boss and Chris’s section. I would like to get the platinum but I don’t know if it’s worth the stress.

I think I'm coming towards the end of Cyberpunk. Been pretty decent overall, only minor glitches. Not as bad as some have made out, but far from brilliant considering the hype. 7/10 I'd say. Have a good one folks!

On PS5: Dirt Rally 2.0 and Gran Turismo Sport.
I suddenly felt the urge to go back to those having watched the GT7 trailer on Thursday.
On PC: Aliens: Colonial Marines. Yes, that game. I like it and there's nothing you can do about it 😜

If it arrives with the postman I'll be playing Tales of Arise, if it fails to materialise then I'll probably crack on with the Siege of Paris in AC Valhalla and maybe a bit more New World beta even though I'm already sold on it as a crafting/gathering time-waster that I'll enjoy for a while.

Got a massive backlog as it is but still picked up The Arkham trilogy and south park RPG's for £30. Finished the prologue in Genshin Impact and have Aloy in my team now, maybe more of that. Spoilt for choice and more crackers are just around the corner. Can't wait for Kena!

@fR_eeBritney
Please give me your impressions once you've tried Aliens. I love everything about this franchise but I'm on the fence as to whether I should buy it. Mostly because I bounced off of Predator: HG, mostly 😉
Btw. Britney indeed will be free soon 😁

COD Vanguard Beta PS5, Dirt 5 PS5, Genshin Impact PS5, Tormented Souls PS5.

Still exploring Iki island and dipping into Hades for the odd escape every now and then. Really want to get back to my NG+ on Demon’s Souls but that’s taking a back seat for now.

Ni No Kuni alongside my Ghibli obsessed daughter.

Wrapping up 13 Sentinels. Nearly 100% done with both the battle mode and story mode. I can kind of see a few options for how it might end but it still seems kind of open which is exciting. Really great game.

Looking at Tales Of Arise to dive into next. I enjoyed the first 10 hours or so of Vesperia and Berseria but I just can't quite get into the combat. Perhaps the third time will be the charm. I certainly enjoyed the demo.

Mahjong by Microsoft (Droid) - Still playing daily challenges and working on the various puzzle packs.

Rayman Fiesta Run (Windows Phone) - I'm really enjoying this on the phone which is a surprise to me.

Equalicious (Windows Phone) - Nearly done with half of the puzzles now.

All these FC6 trailers got me returning to continue my 2nd run of FC5, alongside legendary RDR2 of course, plus some laps in GTSport. Side note, I'm a R* fan but gotta say the trailer for GTAV PS5 is one of the most disastrous things I've seen in a long time. I was expecting RDR2 lighting and shades. I feel it's more TakeTwo doing this and not R*, maybe it's why Dan left because he didn't like the direction they were going.

Supposed to be playing like a dragon, but a buddy of mines wanted to borrow it. So I’m playing some Master Chief collection on the one s & more Valhalla on ps5.

Well, it’ll be a mix between Kitaria Fables with the wife, and Like a Dragon when she gets bored.

LiS: True Colors, love the game so far, these characters are great.

Lost in Random, the controls are a bit off but I got used to it but the presentation and combat is so cool.

Yakuza 4 (ps4/ps5) - almost done with this game, 5 more chapters to go. It’s fun so far.

Plants Vs Zombies Battle For Neighborville (ps4/ps5) - been trying to get all singleplayer maps 100% completed in co-op with a friend.

Not much this week.

Tales of arise, which has me hooked line and sinker. Everytime I look into my garden I'm wondering why my plants don't glow or that I dont see random owls with slight quirks😂😂😂.

Today I'll be continuing my second playthrough of Ghost Of Tsushima..absolutely loving it like the first time I played it and yet to explore Iki expansion yet too.
I've also been doing a lot of Neo The World Ends With You which id put on pause for a while but I'm really into it now.
Started Life Is Strange True Colours last night and asking myself if I should also start Tales Of Arise.I'm back to work next week so with limited game time I don't think having loads of games on the go is a good idea..

I'll be keeping it light this birthday weekend: Psychonauts 2, Wreckfest (it really is one of the best racing games I've played, for sheer fun and feel of it), Immortals Fenyx Rising, Lethal League Blaze and probably some Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Happy weekend all and happy gaming!

Same as last week with FF7R on the docket. I always thought Aerith was overrated in the original, but I really like her in the remake!

I’ve also been meaning to get out the Vita again. Maybe some Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight.

Tales of arise for me this weekend. I'm expecting good things from this game,time will tell.

@Daleaf it’s an experience. The music is so good.

Crash bandicoot n sane 💛trilogy.easyly crash and syphon filter was my 2 favorite ps1 games of all times.now im playing the remake of the first 3 games.and wow its still a amazing game.gameplay .graphics i like the story also.playing the first game gave me so much of a nostalgia.mafia definitive edition.a amazing remake with a amazing graphics.gameplay. story.watching my Pittsburgh Steelers play buffalo bills tomorrow .cant wait.its going to be a amazing game.lets go Steelers.today marks the 20 th anniversary of September 9 .2001.so r.i.p.to everyone that lost theyre lives.watching good times and the Jefferson marathon and saved by the bell.lets go 💛Steelers🖤.word up son

Continuing my journey as Miles Morales and just started Control. So far, so weird but I'm liking it.

Spurs about to KO, NFL this weekend and good luck to Emma tonight in the US Open Final.

Enjoy the weekend, folks.

Nfs heat and just started playing shadow of war...quite like it so far..

Currently working my way through Hollow Knight which I’m loving and some Wreckfest perhaps. Really need to get finishing Sekiro as well.

@Col_McCafferty Control is one of my favourite games of the gen. Played through it on PS4 and 5, enjoy it’s so good!

I’m just about finished with the Yuffie DLC for FFVII Remake. I’ve been having a great time with it.

I'll be playing a tennis tournament this weekend but currently finishing up Psychonauts 2 on my laptop! Wish me luck!

I'll mainly be a spectator this weekend, as my wife is playing through The Witcher III again. She's never completed it and she's determined to do it this time.

If I get chance I might start A Way Out.

@Fenbops Cool, i have wanted to play it for some time but other games took up my attention. I'm sure I'll enjoy it!

I'm almost finished with Tokyo Xanadu so that will take some priority. It's not Falcom's best RPG but it's scratched my JRPG fix nicely. Pretty fun game! After that I'll be just playing DMC5SE until Kena and Lost Judgment. Not long now!

@kyleforrester87 Good work mate, hope the weather clears up a bit for you

Finally a day off tomorrow! Tales of Arise, ME3 and NBA 2K22 .

I’ll be going for the platinum in the forgotten city, after that happens I’ll spend the evening debating what to play next.

Still got plenty of Mass Effect 2 left to play. Finishing up the recruitment and loyalty missions, which should keep me busy for the weekend.

Returnal,Days gone and horizon frozen wilds DLC.. those ps4 games look and play amazing in ps5.ps+ offered a lot of quality games in the past few years..

@kyleforrester87 you make my weekend seem irrelevant and rubbish. Very impressed with what you're doing

Just bought switch v2, plan to buy switch oled but the launch price is expensive in my country (about $522). I've been playing langrisser 1&2 remake on it. It's a pretty good strategy games 😃

Still at with the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Also got back into Control and Neir Autumata. And I’ll probably throw in Guilty Gear Strive for the fighting game fix.

Nioh 2, finding it a lot harder than the first one, loot quality is worse, struggling to get armour and weapon level near advised mission level's. Also playing Undertale, a game I knew was well regarded, but looked at and thought I ain't playing that, I decided to give it a go while it was on PS now, and I'm quite enjoying it.

Genshin and trying to blast through Judgement before it leaves ps now

Playing some tales of arise with some life is strange: true colours in between. Hopefully I can complete life is strange before death loop is out…. Though that would require me to stop playing tales….

I'm down in the Lava Caves in Subnautica so can't have that far left to go with that, and I've also recently started Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and who doesn't like Tomb Raider with lightsabers?

Edit: I'm still also playing eBay: can I get games for less then the CEX trade-in price. Fallen Order down, Cyberpunk 2077 and Mafia Definitive Edition to go. For Fallen Order it's that I don't like to support EA, the the others it's that I'm not sure whether I want to buy them enough to pay for them, and this is the only way to play a demo nowadays.

Just finishing up Psychonauts 2 on the series X. Remarkable game, played with a smile all the way through. After that I'll possibly continue Hades or Metro Exodus on the ps5. Have a good weekend everyone.

Hoping to clear aggelos in one weekend, love this game nostalgia is strong with this one.
Carrying on also with tormented souls enjoying but can be quite tough at times.
Can't wait to unmetal is released I am actually proper excited for this

Since I finished Judgment last week, I want to sink my teeth into Psychonauts 2. Sadly I forgot to start downloading it during the week so while I wait I started Enter the Gungeon last night. I never played it before.
It's actually pretty damn fun, not gonna lie.

Wonderboy Asha in monster land.

Currently playing through Control, it's a great time exploring the Old Building.

@Gremio108 I started A way out with my sister last weekend it's a lot of fun. Just have to wait till she's free to continue where we left off.

I picked up F.I.S.T. this week. I have some minor gripes with the combat, but overall it might be the best metroidvania game I've played in years.

The wolf among us. But I’m waiting on Resident evil Village on Ps5 from eBay. Got it for an absolute steal preowned. About 40% of the price for a brand new copy at the cheapest retail price I found. Gotta be happy with a relatively new game for less than half the price 😉

Loot the Universe, Mayhem Made Mild, Show Me the Eridium, and more 2nd anniversary events are keeping me playing Borderlands 3. I’d say it’s a great time to jump back in, but I never left. Excited for Tiny Tina, but B3 always keeps me busy with fresh (and free no micro transactions) content. Also working through Shadow of the Tomb Raider which I find adorable. Dipping into new season of Division 2 but starting to yearn for a new Clancy game. Luckily there are like 5 or 6 coming out. Also playing Assassins Creed Odyssey which is fun to come back to and looks beautiful at 60fps. Downloaded Hitman 2 (and did the steps to play in Hitman 3) so will have to check that out.

Deathloop! Surprisingly received early. Ghost of Tsushima iki island. Yakuza 5. Scarlet Nexus and Division 2 all on Ps5

@kyleforrester87 Good going so far, hope your having fun despite it being brutal. Donation done!

I'm gonna play Hitman 2 one of the free games on PSN this month in the US.

@Far_Cide Don't forget if you have a PS5 or PSVR, that you can get a better experience by playing the levels in Hitman 3!

1. Tales of Arise.

That is it, obsessed with this game already.

As I await my copy of Tales to arrive in the mail, I have been playing Life Is Strange: True Colours. I've only played the first episode so far & it's not bad. Though an odd complaint: Alex's inner monologue doesn't seem to match her personality, or the current situation she may in, it's really weird. It almost feels like they wanted her to be a bit like Max from the original, but she's not....Still, not bad!

@gollumb82 haha, let’s hope so. It’s crazy that this whole situation was allowed to go on for so long #freebritney! 😬

As for Aliens Fireteam - I played the first mission this morning and... it’s just ok. It’s basically Aliens on steroids but without the cool characters.

I love the Aliens movie but I’ve always preferred Alien and even Alien 3 (the Assembly cut). I’d much rather play a game like Alien Isolation than this but I did give it a fair chance.

First impressions... it gets old pretty fast. In the first mission, you basically just run through endless corridors (steam blasts and vent covers dropping - every vent cover dropping 😂), whilst killing waves of Xenomorphs. You reach a way point, hold the square button, kill more waves of Xenomorphs. And repeat. It doesn’t feel as satisfying as it should really.

Most of the Aliens in the first campaign are the regular Xenomorphs but occasionally you’ll get the acid-spitting variety or the armoured Xeno’s, which are harder to kill (bullet sponges). But for the most part you just hold down the trigger button until they stop coming at you.

When I checked the trophy list, there was a trophy to ‘kill 10,000 Xenomorphs’, which seemed like a crazy amount. But I think I killed over 1,000 in the first story campaign alone. That’s just my own kills, not including my team kills.

I was paired with two AI teammates and they were pretty good. Too good really - they killed more Xeno’s than I did! 🤣

There was one great moment where you have to set up a perimeter defence for an incoming Xeno assault. I had two sentry guns (300 rounds in each) and some fire rounds for my Pulse Rifle. I managed to hold them off long enough for the (extremely slow) elevator to arrive. That was a pretty cool moment but overall I’m not sure it’s for me.

@MightyDemon82 Good to know. I've had it ready to go for a while, just been waiting for my mate to be free so we can start it.

Did you play it in local co-op or online?

Tried some Assassin's Creed Syndicate, as I got it for free.

It was a bit boring so I quickly deleted it.

@fR_eeBritney
Thanks for the detailed impressions! It does sound repetetive and uninspired, but I'm a sucker for anything Aliens related. So much so that I actually like Colonial Marines 😁 I'll probably wait for a discount and see for myself. Alien Isolation was too hardcore for me. The sections where the creature is stalking you got frustrating really quick. I'd kill for a proper Aliens vs Predator 2 sequel (way back on the PC). Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Oh and #freebritney!

Haven't been able to put Hades down. Only reached the final boss once so far, and lost when he only had a hair of health left lmao. I've never gotten into a rogue-like before, so finding this one a bit addictive. Otherwise, years late, I'm finally having a go with Evil Within 2 to scratch that horror itch.

Tales of Arise, b!+ches! 😁

@Gremio108 we played online. Did try it with my wife local but she's not much of a gamer, my sister is a little more competent so started from scratch.

I'm caught up on the Ronaldo hype train so it's fifa 21 until 22 comes out.

@MightyDemon82 We'll be playing online. It's good to hear that the online experience is worthwhile!

PS5 - The Medium
Really enjoying this game so far, 8 or 10 hours in. Has some Silent Hill and even Alan Wake vibes.

Switch - No More Heroes III

I was looking to play Tales of Arise but my copy hasn't arrived yet. So I'm playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla and trying out the Call of Duty beta (so far hasn't impressed me).

Ghost of Tsushima. Brill.

More Divinity Original Sin II and Baldur's Gate III. I just can't get enough of them.

Cod ,Demon souls, R& K , Returnal hell may even go do some Bloodborne !

Hi there fellow gamers.
This weekend is all about Tales of Arise.
Loving the game so far. Already have 4 main characters in my party and the combat is hectic, wild and super fun.
It still has the same type of humor, drama and character storytelling that I enjoy so much in this games.
Now excuse me, I need to find more Dahnan owls.
Cheers, stay safe everyone and happy gaming weekend to us all

F1 2020
Jedi Fallen Order
Hitman 2

Enjoying Hitman 2 so much I may splash out for Hitman 3 while it is on sale

a whole lot of nothing. waiting for Kena bridge of spirits.

@kyleforrester87 I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Hope your feeling better soon.

@The_Omnius I played DOSII for quite a few hours. I really enjoyed it, but it was just too hard for me. Combat was just too long and painful.

I have finally figured out a few of the No Man's Sky game loops and really digging that at the moment

Been playing some Doom 3 on Switch and New Super Mario Bros. U Delux, I prefer the 2D Mario games really. Also broke out my 2DS XL for some G.G. Shinobi, such an outstanding Game Gear game, the Shinobi games are truly overdue a comprehensive collection.

Out of town with family this weekend having not seen them in 18 months. So no consoles this weekend. But I’m really enjoying Do-Don-Pachi on Apple Arcade. What a game! Such a great old school bullet hell shooter

AC Odyssey, The Witcher 2 and Red Dead Online.

Respect to Mr Forrester for his dedication.

@kyleforrester87 No need to apologise and like you said, it's out of your hands no one can help being unwell. Always look on the bright side. You did something great and you've raised lots of money for Alzheimer's. Should be proud of what you have achieved, well done mate!

The last Matterfall boss on Veteran.

I'm playing nuffink this weekend cos The Super Palace mullered Spurs 3 nil so I'm having a jolly up.

COYP.

"BACKLOG" Why the hell do people keep going on about a backlog?!
There just games you haven't played yet you make it sound like a chore to play games they're supposed to be for pleasure, "backlog", I give up

@stBoa
It is an issue only people with limited gaming time can understand. Jobs, families, children, everyday stuff or just being too tired to play a game- something I didn't know existed until a few years ago. Add all the awesome games coming out every couple of months and you can see it can be a problem. You'd like to play new titles, but still have a few (or more) you want to go through first. First world problem, I know. A problem, nonetheless.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits too cute to handle!!!