Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 484

Started a new playthrough of Cyberpunk on PS5 after watching the Phantom Liberty trailer, and I just cannot put it down. Sorry Clive and Link. Night City needs me!

I’m playing FFXVI but I’m periodically taking breaks every 25% I go. Currently at 64% and I love how dedicated they were to the percentage game. Mad respect there.

Been playing EA PGA this morning, back to Dark Descent laster in this afternoon I think.

Also hankering for a bit of CK3 so might fire that up tomorrow and have a run on that.

GOT Director's Cut , what a masterpiece. Shame I was to distracted in 2020 for the original release.

FFXVI

I’m at 20% of FF16 but still it won’t really grab me. I don’t understand why, since I adore the series. The fights are really cool but I have to concentrate very hard to not lose my attention during the story parts.

Final Fantasy XVI much better with the motion blur update but the choppy framerate is terrible at times needs performance update. The gameplay and story is excellent. I picked up Forspoken on deep sale and Im enjoying the combat. Also Hogwarts Legacy and Street Fighter 6

Still at it with Final Fantasy XVI over 70 hours later, so much side content to do and the battles are incredibly epic. Hoping I can finish in the next couple days so I can begin clearing up my Switch library over the summer while I don't have any new games releasing for 2 months

On PS5 i will be continuing with the excellent Final Fantasy 16, currently 51% through and the story has been brilliant so far. I will also be continuing with Trails of cold steel 2.

On switch I will be continuing with Master Detective Archives and Kirby return to dreamland.

On 3DS I will be starting Detective Pikachu which I never got round to completing originally but I want to complete it before the next game comes out.

Mainly TOTK on Switch,70 hours in and feel like I'm not even halfway..Absolutely blown away by this game!
FFXVI will also be getting a lot of love.Excellent game

Going to finish LIS: True Colors, then on to start Death Stranding.

I’m almost done with Final Fantasy XV on Ps5. Thinking about going for the platinum trophy.

After that I’m probably gonna replay Persona 4 Dancing All Night on my PsVita.

Might also start Final Fantasy VII Remastered on the Switch as I’m still in a Final Fantasy mood.

Finally I started Ravenlock on my Xbox Series X.

Still making my way through FF16. Somewhere in the 50’s, percentage wise.

Just finished Miles Morales on PS5 or should I call it Generator Power Simulator 2 ? I jest but it was great fun but repetitive like the first game
Will carry on with FF16 ...only a quarter of the way through but I'm 50/50 on my opinion of it so far. Simple doesn't half describe it ! But it's taken my attention off Zelda TOTK which i want to divert ALL my attention too again soon
Back into Gears 5 multiplayer in a big way too, its absolutely outstanding !
Have a great weekend guys and gals ❤️❤️

After a couple of weeks off gaming, I'm hoping to get back to it today. Might try out Sonic Chaos, amd carry on descending that horrendous tree in Elden Ring. Watching Spiderverse 2 first though!

FF16 for me I'm 80% finished I'm hoping to get it finished up this weekend so i can get back to trying to clear some of the backlog. Downloaded Sword and Fairy on Gamepass too so I'll give that a try if there's time.

Street fighter and Final Fantasy like it’s the good Nintendo years of yore

Grinding in Sekiro right now and this is why Elden Ring is FromSoftware's best game. With BB, Sekiro etc you have a couple of places to go grind, in ER is a vast world you can go anywhere, find new places, new things all the while grinding. So it's those 3 for the weekend, the lovely AC Valhalla plus I might start HFW 2nd playthrough proper, the graphics is on another level, games like those makes it hard to leave PS. Aaand some GoT Iki Island probably.

I’m heading towards the last of the bosses for Ys Monstrum Nox before I have to tackle the game on nightmare difficulty. It’s been my first Ys game and I’ve really enjoyed it, so I’m gonna check out some others as I’ve heard the Dana one is really good.

The suns out is it? Overcast and drizzley for me but i guess that just means a shower proof jacket when i'm at the golf course this afternoon and well its diablo 4 for the before and after..have a great weekend folks👍

I’ve been cleaning up the side quests in Dead Island 2 and I’m installing Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty at the moment. Plus the usual Fortnite / Dreamlight Valley in between.

It's more FF16 for me. Coming up on 50% completion according the PS5 dashboard. Enjoying the game and really interested to see where the story goes. Ready for it to ramp up another notch now but I'm pretty sure current events are leading to that.
My copy of Reverie arrived but Sky FC is my other main game right now. Will probably have a few matches of SF6 too. Sadly Diablo 4 has taken a bit of a back seat but looking forward to returning to it post FF16. I also really want to finally play the Xenosaga trilogy following Future Redeemed. Those are ready to go on my Steam Deck.

Still final fantasy 16, I'm taking it slow lol. Also I like the sidequest in this game, when I'm not in the mood for the serious story telling, I just do all the sidequest before playing the main story when I feel like it.

Pioneer of olive town gave me the farming/life sim/building itch, but I usually find VR much better for gaming, so I got Garden of the Sea to play this weekend. Very much enjoying it so far, and the animals are cute AF.

I'll be striking another one down from my backlog: The Last Guardian.

1. FF16 (PS5)
2. F1 2023 (PC) British GP weekend! 🏁🏎️

No work travel for a bit so my Steamdeck gets a break. Just 4K gaming 24/7 😀👍

Im playing the marvelous amazing 🕷 spiderman.one of the best games ever made.the story is cool.and the graphics looks really good.peter parker aka spiderman is one of the most iconic well known superheroes ever.new york represent.i represent queens new york.the boss fights and the gameplay is so fun.the instant classic and one of the best games ever made in red dead redemption 2.excellent graphics.the gameplay is really good.the story is n.i.c.e.artur morgan is a good protagonist.im playing the excellent destiny the collection.one y favorite games ever made.the gameplay is really good.im playing as a warlock. Its the best class.extremely fun game.the graphics is cool.the boss fights is excellent.the gameplay is is really fun. the wonderful indie game trek to yomi.this epic historical black and white Japanese game is fun.the art style graphics and the combat is really good.the boss fights and the story is cool.hiroki is a good protagonist.and the fantastic divinity original sin enhanced edition.one of the best games ever made.especially playing as a wizard.the magic is amazing.the graphics is cool.the story is one of the best i ever play. the boss fights is excellent.i will be watching legendary sitcoms tv 📺 shows in Sanford and son.good times.and saved by the bell.word life.word is bond.word to your mother.word to god.word up son

Finishing up my Final Fantasy 16 NG+ run. I highly recommend shutting off the camera tracker now that you can.

Was playing FF XVI, but couldn't resist switching to Trails into Reverie to catch up with the gang

I just started playing Hunt: Showdown and yeah, I can see why its Crytek's most popular game in quite some time. I've been trying to do the trials for some unlockables but they're really difficult! I can get 1 star on them pretty easy but any more than that would be too much of a time commitment for me.

@wiiware I do the same thing.

Sometimes tired after work but stil want to play a bit - but not in the mood for anything major

I Just run all the side quests on the map. It is so well organized and easy to jump in.

Busy week, but in a good way. Gig night tonight (new, non-amp day too!!! Goodbye 70lb+ tube amp and cab!!!) so not much today, hope to get back to AEW again and Hogwarts tomorrow. Also doing a second run through on Control, and I kind of prefer the 30FPS and enhanced visuals for this game. Did the same with my Hogwarts playthrough, good times! Hope everyone has a fun weekend!

PS5 - Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI

Xbox Series X - Street Fighter 6, AEW: Fight Forever

Warriors orochi 4 it's been in my backlog for awhile

Probably moving on to something else because live a live is not engaging at all.

Trinity Trigger, maybe Cult of the Lamb

Final Fantasy XVI

I think I'm somewhere in the mid-60's for % complete, and I'm still highly enjoying it. I look forward to digging into a lot more of it this weekend.

I know it hasn't clicked for the occasional person, but it did for me pretty quickly. I love the Game of Thrones influences, and the fact that you get to have a "settlement" or "home" like you did in Assassin's Creed Valhalla is another definite plus that doesn't get enough recognition. It allows you to connect with the large group of people that are the staples of your Hideaway.

Already started the weekend with the amazing Yakuza 0. The story is more gripping the more you play!! I will stay in Japan and play some Ghostwire Tokyo today. Then, some Hogwarts Legacy and The Witcher 3 too. Many options these days haha

Diablo IV and FFXVI on PS5
Watchdogs Legion on Xbox.

@freddquadros Yakuza 0 is a masterpiece in video game storytelling imo. Would love a remake

Sonic Advance, Genshin Impact for the dailies, and GT7 for the daily.

This weekend I’m playing Final Fantasy 16 on the PS5. According to the PSN, I’m 70% through the game clocking in at 44hrs. If that’s the case, it has been some of the best forty hours I’ve experienced in this current generation.

It’s crazy how good FFXVI is, at least to me. There are obvious flaws in the game - level design, the lack of proper RPG elements, and not the greatest of side quests - but I can’t stop thinking about the game. The story is absolutely gripping, with memorable characters and excellent voice acting. And the combat is really damn fun.

Now that I’m over halfway through the game, it has opened up a lot more in terms of content, story, quests, and it truly does get better and better as you progress through the game. I really like the structure of the game. Unlike most RPGs (I’m looking at you, Xenoblade Chronicles) you are never bogged down by a list of mundane side quests and conventions. It’s nice to have only two or three side quests available after a main quest. Some of these side quests may be fetch quests, but they are meaningful with the rewards. And these rewards aren’t just items acquired - it’s the character(s) development and world building.

I’ve heard complaints that say this game is “empty”, and I don’t understand that. We are talking about a linear, narrative driven game. Not every game needs to be this massive open world that has bustling towns and cities, with NPCs that you’ll never remember, and quests that are essentially meaningless.

When I hear people say this game is empty, I am confounded because the locations you visit - and I would classify them more as “levels” - do have some sort of life to them. However, these places are simply a serviceable open playground to fight monsters, go on hunts, and get experience. It’s essentially a means to an end to reach the next story beat. And this is fine because, as I stated earlier, FFXVI is a story driven and linear game, focusing on a handful of characters in order to make it feel more of a personal journey.

Honestly, this may be my favorite FF title. It’s easily my favorite PS5 exclusive at the moment. I’m hoping I can beat the game before I head to Nashville, TN next weekend. Regardless, I’m definitely going to do a NG+ in order to get the Platinum trophy, which is something I rarely do.

@Zuljaras Order of Ecclesia is so good! Enjoy! 😀

I’m going to try get the Stray speedrun trophy, but I don’t like my chances

@Cordyceps I’ve been playing Cult of the Lamb all week and it’s my new favorite game. So much fun

@KilloWertz Valhalla is on sale now and I’m thinking of picking it up. Never played an Assasin’s Creed before, but the game looks beautiful

Probably FF16 and of course SF6. If I manage to finish FF16 though then I plan to focus on Trails to Azure next so I can start Reverie at some point. I'm drowning in RPGs!

@Kyushutrail I keep going back to CotL for various reasons. This time it's the Relics of the Old Faith DLC. I guess you can charge attacks now and there are new spells, too? So it's probably totally different than the last time I played, and i'm looking forward to it.

The speed run trophy in Stray is actually a lot easier than you think because you're not going for any of the collectibles. I would recommend the optinoob guide on YouTube if you want to use a guide, if not just run for those goalpoints as soon as you can.

I think doing the speed run is easier than doing the first chase sequence without getting caught for that trophy. RNG is my mortal enemy though.

Have a great weekend!

I'm hoping to get some quality time with Final Fantasy XVI but life keeps getting ij the way 😪

@Cordyceps tysm! I’ll definitely check out the guide you mentioned because it’s been a while since I played the game. Just need to do the speedrun to get the plat and thought I should get it done before it leaves ps plus lol

Imperia Online (Windows Phone) - Still grinding away.

Angry Birds Rio (Windows Phone) - Still also playing in bursts.

Far too nice outside to be playing games today.(there's a sentence I never thought I'd type 🤣).

Will most likely continue FFXVI later on. Such a great game, love it warts & all.

Nier: Replicant. I've already played through the entire story, but I'm just one trophy away from the Platinum trophy. It's a brilliant game, but I do not recommend going for the platinum, as the trophies do get rather tedious.

Also want to get back into Hogwarts Legacy. Even though I really enjoy the game when I'm playing it, I find myself keep getting distracted with other games and not playing enough of this.

And it's probably a good weekend for me to get started on something else, though I'm not sure what yet.

Final Fantasy XVI consumes me. I’m taking it a little bit at a time because I don’t want it to end lol. I’m also playing Team Sonic Racing here and there.

@Mauzuri I do realize that side quests aren’t necessary to advance the story. I’m not even “hating” on Xenoblade Chronicles — in fact, it’s one of my favorite franchises. That said, the amount of side quests the first XC has is insane. I’m glad that’s all you honed in on in my lengthy write-up.

I'll be adding to the 120hours the PS5 tells me I have put in to Ghost Recon Breakpoint so far 🙂

If the trackers are correct then I'm at 65% with 84h clocked in FFXVI. Dion is honestly such a fantastic character. I really hope they do more with XVIs characters in things like spin offs, cross over games/promotions. I've grown really fond of them. I also did another S rank hunt like 13 lvls higher than me, and it was so fun memorizing each attack pattern to dodge to whittle down it's hp. It feels like a single player XIV boss fight lol

Playing through FFXVI. Summer vacation time has killed my gaming time but really enjoying my time with Clive and Valisthea. Exploring every nook and cranny. Enjoying how dark they want with this game, very intense. Have to do remote play this weekend.

Bought Synapse, nearly got the platinum for Puzzling Places, and helping my Battlefield partner in getting the “Ruler of the Zone” badge in extraction.

@Kyushutrail Follow a video guide. It's very doable, I did with more than 25 minutes to spare.

Need to finish up FFXVI but the massive side quest dump at the end is tiring me out but I’ll finish it eventually. I decided to take a break and start Diablo IV. Never have played one before and so far I’m having a blast.

@Kyushutrail The thing that nearly tripped me up for the Stray speedrun was not knowing who to speak to next in the settlements. Looking back, I should have at least used a guide for the town bits. The rest isn't so bad.

Rogue legacy 2 has its claws into me again. Struggling to beat the last level(or what I think is the last level).
Great game

Now I’ve finished Hogwarts, im clearing up my list of shame. Bug Fables today, brilliant little game a-la Paper Mario Thousand Year Door. Couple of nasty difficulty spike and it can be difficult to know where to go, but the rest of the game more than makes up for it

@freddquadros Thanks! I wanna get it on the first attempt

Tekken 7. Have a great weekend folks 😄

@Gremio108 That’s what I’m worried about as well as dying too much. Will definitely use a guide.

I’ll be in the Battle Hub for a bit in Street Fighter 6 and mess around World Tour mode as well. Playing WWE 2K23 and will try to finish Ghost Trick too.

Mostly just Diablo 4. I was playing a whole bunch of Destiny 2 recently but when I got together with the clan I was running with to do some raids it reminded me why I’m not much into comms or parties while gaming. As soon as one of the guys started telling me I needed to change pieces of armor and such I shut the game off and uninstalled. I think I’ve finally had my fill of Destiny after 7-8 years.
Booting up Diablo 4 instantly scratched the looter itch for me. So it’ll be D4 for the foreseeable future with other single player games mixed in. I’m thinking I’ll go with Resi 4 Remake first.
Also eager for Exoprimal…Capcom has had a Midas touch lately, here’s hoping it’s going to extend to this new IP.

Well this weekend is kinda simple. On the switch side of things I’m just gonna keep going at Bayonetta Origins. Still a absolutely amazing game and again honestly kinda my Nintendo GOTY so far. I’m catching up on those Nintendo 1st Parties as I think all I got after this is the Fire Emblem Fell Xenologue, Advance Wars, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Future Redeemed and Tears of the Kingdom. So I’m thinking on how/when to swap over to third party catch ups as over on that front I got a whole lot like Octopath Traveler 2, Paranormasight, Trails to Azure, Atelier Ryza 3, WE ❤️ KATAMARI, Ghost Trick and soon to be Rain Code and Trails into Reverie. Honestly if anyone has any thoughts and ideas lemme know I would appreciate it. Speaking of Rain Code I wanna play it so bad but I still gotta wait until at least the 18th. Stinking customs…… Tho Amazon ain’t just screwing me on that but Reverie too that’s coming in like 4 days too. Over on the PS front it’s pretty simple not sure if I’ll play some more XVI later as I’m really enjoying it and don’t wanna just blast through it. Maybe I’ll get back into SF6 as I’m really excited for Rashid and would definitely love to earn some trophies for like World Tour mode or Battle Hub. This week I was able to buy Resident Evil Village's Winters Expansion and Lost Judgment’s The Kaito Files so I reinstalled Lost Judgment as well as RE5, 6, and 7. I’m now all set to finish up my Yakuza and Resident Evil marathons. The Resident Evil one has definitely taught me some interesting things about that series that I wanna elaborate on when I’m done with it. Over on the anime front I’m impressed at the fact I now only have two animes left to wrap up after finishing Demon Slayer last night and that is Mobile Suit Gundam Witch From Mercury and Birdie Wing. That and catching up on this new show I love now called Bungo Stray Dogs. Once I finish Witch and Birdie I’ll be able to put together my top spring list and I’m really excited to see how that comes together. As for my early Summer picks currently I’m looking at Atelier Ryza, Jujutsu Kaisen, Liar Liar and Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Season 2. Overall big excited feelings heading into less then two weeks until Pikmin 4. Have a good weekend y’all and Happy Gaming as always.

@Kyushutrail. Isn’t AC Valhalla still on the subscription service?

Currently playing "Real Truck Simulator USA: Car Games" and I must say it's probably one of the worst games I've ever played 😂 It's so broken and bugged to hell. If anybody is tempted to actually buy this (yeah I was gullible) I would strongly advise you to run the other way! What an absolute load of rubbish!!!!

I’m the broken record of TOTK and FF16 and Diablo IV. Dad life keeps me busy.
However I felt the need to now add FF4 via Pixel Remasters to that list!

If can get any time bit of Gylt, FF 16 and maybe atomic heart

Elden Ring. 240 hours in, haven’t beaten it yet and no sign of stopping anytime soon. I’m exploring every square inch of this world.

A little Crypt of the Necrodancer on the side.

Happing gaming everyone.

@Stevemalkpus Hmm not for me. Maybe it’s a regional thing. I’m in Japan and I miss out on a few games

Ranked in Street Fighter 6 and getting shells in Splatoon 3 before the Splatfest.

Finishing Hitman 2018 and continuing Days Gone. Both are first plays

Lots of games with colons in their titles for me:

PS5 - Horizon: Forbidden West
XSX - Witcher 3: Blood and Wine
Switch - Metroid Prime: Remastered

@PixelDragon I enjoyed it. Thought it had some good moments in the plot towards the end too

@Korgon

“I'm drowning in RPGs!”

This is exactly how the gypsy lady told me I would die.

@Darude84 For me it's the other way around. I'm playing for the story but the combat is really repetitive and bland for me. I think because it's an action game with upgradeable skills rather than an RPG with, say, different builds or a proper skill tree with things you're building up to, it feels pretty flat to me. There's a boss fight later in the game where it just won't end. I was pretty tired when it started and genuinely my eyes kept closing during the fight. My friend was watching me on Twitch and I had to assure him that the fights aren't normally so dull. It was definitely a low point yet it was presented as some epic, titanic clash.

@DeepSpace5D Aren’t you afraid the final bosses of ER are going to be too easy when overlevelled? The fights might lose their magic. Or aren’t you grinding while exploring?

FF16. I do wish they’d sort the non-battle frame pacing though.

@Darude84 Im not staying in an area just to grind rune levels, I just take a really long time to explore places when I want to be thorough. The sheer size of the world in Elden Ring is quite impressive, I gotta say.

I thought Horizon: Forbidden West had a large map but it feels small now in comparison to Elden Ring.

My vigor does feel like it’s starting to get high at 60 though, so I can survive most attacks. So I just decided a while back to not use any summons to help me during boss fights, to keep the challenge up. Miss my little jellyfish though. That was my favorite one.

@PixelDragon I preferred the plot and pacing of fallen order. I still enjoyed survivor but left me a tad cold in parts

FF16 mostly . the demo convinced me to get this . i love the pageturner narrative. nothing really that i could complain about. Acting, graphics, combat , sub quests, story - all look epic.

in between trying to progress in Returnal , still in last biome without much to show for. This game is tough .

@DeepSpace5D Good approach. I also like that ER gives you so many ways to sort out your own journey. With precious From games I was dead stuck all the time but here there are always possibilities to explore further.

@spakai For me the trick in the last Returnal biome was to just run forward to safety after you fall. My resources were too limited to ty to beat all things lurking out at the bottom. After that I beat the end boss pretty quickly.

@Darude84 trick worked . Changed my mindset. Beat the last boss on my 2nd attempt

@spakai Well done!