Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 520

Giving Need for Speed Unbound a go for a bit of knockabout fun, but beyond that, not playing much. Need something to grab me.

Hogwarts Legacy: Never did I imagine being able to roam through a fully realized Hogwarts, learning spells like Diffindo or Alohomora, riding broomsticks, or getting messed with by Peeves, but here I am.

Finding the Room of Requirement, battling trolls and goblins, sneaking into locked rooms and exploring Hogsmeade... it's all excellent, and all heightened by incredibly crisp visuals. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you owe it to yourself to check out this game.

I don't say this lightly: this is a can't miss opportunity.

Finished RE4 and Separate Ways (very different, but still good, to what I remember). I’m 50 hours in on Pacific Drive and loving it. The sound design is fantastic, lightning, raindrops on the roof, the way the dialog sounds inside the car. I want to get back to LotF but it will have to wait a bit.

Have a great weekend folks!

Majora's Mask for the first time ever. I was never interested in it, but a friend encouraged me to try it. I beat Ocarina of Time for the first time last year, even though I have owned it since release.

I recently wrapped up FF 16

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, I'm 10 hours in and just going through the Mythril Mines. Absolutely loving it so far

Final Fantasy 7 rebirthmake, yuppie psycho and some prodeus on the 5. syberia 2 on the switch.

Little Nightmares 2, maybe bit of Ion Fury while I wait for Alone in the dark. The kids will want to play mouse trap too

Still playing ff7 rebirth I'm taking my sweet time with it the game is that good

Now that I’ve wrapped up the Dead Space remake, I started Final Fantasy VII Rebirth last weekend. I’m only 13 hours in, but it’s already shaping up to be another incredible experience. Despite what I’ve read in so many comments sections regarding this game, I think it looks absolutely gorgeous.

Some JRPG sci-fi for me in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Trying to follow the branching stories across different timelines has me hooked.

Totally hooked on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. I like the overall silliness a lot, it looks gorgeous and plays brilliantly!

Tomb Raider Remastered for me. The original game blew me away back when it came out and this remaster is just fantastic. The updated visuals are really hitting the spot, striking the right balance between being faithful to the original and looking that bit more modern, and with lots of subtle and well-judged effects (like sparkles on ice), that just lift the whole thing. Looking good, Lara!

Playing with the original tank controls, which are a lot better than I remember them being. When you climb from A to B in Tomb Raider, you feel like you've achieved something, not that the game has done it for you 😃

Have a great weekend, everyone.

@LN78 I liked that game. The best of Sega's marvel efforts by far

@LN78 yeah I played Super Soldier a couple of years back, really solid game that.

Have been watching and enjoying Shogun, which is a fantastic show. Which has left me in the mood to jump into Ghost Of Tsushima. The graphics are beautiful. The gameplay is butter smooth. Enjoying this alot. Will also be doing some coop with my son too. So the likes of Shredders Revenge, Knack 2, Crash Team Racing and Marvel V Capcom will be getting some game time! Happy Gaming All!!

I'm continuing my way through FF7 Rebirth. I'll be making a push for the finale soonish I think and I have no idea what to expect in terms of twists to the OG story but my gut tells me something is coming

Just can't stop with Elden Ring and Bloodborne. Will try to continue Divinity OS2 and AC Valhalla also. I might restart legendary RDR2.

I'm 40 hours into the brilliant Rebirth..these chapters are going way too fast for my liking!

I'm also playing Pikmin 1 on Switch

@JonnyAces Ha, I did it the other way round, finished Ghost of Tsushima in the New Year, which left me in the mood to watch Shogun!

Ghost is a fantastic game, enjoy it.

More Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Unfortunately I don't think I'll finish in time for Rise of the Ronin. Still got Unicorn Overlord as well, there's too many games releasing this month

Im still playing the incredible judgment.the excellent dragon dogma dark arisen.and the awsome days gone.i will be watching my boston Celtics 💚🖤 play.i will be watching legendary sitcoms tv 📺 comedy in Sanford and son.martin.good times.the Jeffersons.and saved by the bell.word life.word is bond.word to god.word to your mother.word up son

I’ve got a nice long weekend ahead of me, so I'm spending some time finishing up some smaller games that I’ve abandoned. I finished Inifinte wealth and got my shinny plat last week so I need a small break from JRPG’s. Got Lake, A short hike and slime rancher on the go currently.

Final Fantasy 16 - I must say I'm blown away by Eikon boss fights and music is epic. I did not expect it to be so good, tbh.
I'm happy that after ER and Bloodborne I finally found a game I really enjoy and stay for more than 1-2hrs

In between I do some racing in F1 23 which is fun.

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Properly delving into Outer Wilds and wow is this game phenomenal. Feels like it's already creeping into the best games I've ever played

Final Fantasy Rebirth chapter 6 Costa Del Sol. The next best thing to a real holiday

Helldivers 2 and a bit of demons souls. Have a great weekend everyone 👍

FF 7 Rebirth - at chapter 7, and Im enjoying it so much! Its just so good and gets almost everything right. And Queens Blood is great, Im taking every chance to play it I can find 🤓

Finally done with Persona 3 Reload and now I've moved on to The Last of Us Part II on PS5. Loving the game so far. I'll also be playing Binary Domain on Series X, which I'm also really enjoying.

FF7 Rebirth
Trinity Fusion (now has a demo on the store!)
Crisis Core (still….)
And my daily diving for Democracy in Helldivers 2

@JonnyAces I had the same itch as I watch Shōgun. Couldn’t decide between replaying Ghost or Wo Long or Nioh as I really just want to be in the mood to use a sword in that type of setting!

Im all over the place atm and have several things on the go, which is not like me..
Helldivers 2 and FF rebirth are both hugely enjoyable and Im still playing both.
..... but I took chance to play F1 2023 and love it. I've only finished the 'story' section, so I intend to start a career now.
....... and I played 'Sherlock Holmes Chapter One' with my wife last night (dont judge me! 🤣). I think its fantastic once you understand the systems, with good acting and a decent script. We had a great evening sleuthing and Ive just bought about 5 dlcs for less than £10 in the current sale. I picked the game up for very little in a pack with 'Sinking City 1', what a bargain! If you ever thought you might like to try it, nows the time. It could do with a more thorough tutorial so you know what does what, but stick with it and its really engrossing if like such stuff 😊

Whatever your playing have fun!

I'll be playing WRC 9, Gran Turismo 7 and probably start Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on the PS5 this weekend. I may even get a run of Balatro on the Steam Deck in too.

More Helldivers 2 for me, working on the new battle pass, gotta get them boosters!
Also going to try out Call of the Mountain which I haven't started yet.

Happy gaming everyone

More Rebirth for me I'm up to chapter 9 now and it's been amazing so far it's one of those games i don't want to end. I also started Prototype last night seems OK bought both of them for £4 so not expecting much tbh.

I have no idea what I should play. Been quitting too many games lately (that I wont bother trying to complete) Im kinda "scared" to start something new. Im considering Helldivers 2 and/or Banishers.

Yesterday I played Assassin's Creed Valhalla while packing up my bag because I will travel to see my girlfriend and watch together Dune Part 2. Our very first cinema outing. So, gaming will wait for the normal week. Have a happy weekend folks, mine will be haha!!

@JamieO I recently went through Slipstream again thanks to the free PS5 upgrade. Such a great game. I’ll be going through the Top Racer games as soon as I’ve finished Rebirth too.

days gone on pc, finally caught it on sale and had a urge to play it after seeing a dope tiktok of it & from hearing alot of ppl talk about it over the years for a sequel. gonna take my time with it since theres no sequel

@nomither6 Yes, Days Gone is a great game, that keeps getting better the more you advance. The story, the gameplay, only gets more engaging the more you dive into the game!! There are some hordes encounters that are unforgettable!! And the story is amazing, a great ending!!

@nomither6
I envy you! I'd love to play that game for the first time again.

I'm currently knee deep into final fantasy 7 rebirth and loving every minute. Remake became one of my favourite games of all time and this looks set to surpass even that

Days gone is highly underrated. Loved the game. Slow start, but man it gets better and better the longer you play.

This weekend I am playing A Plague Tale Requiem. In Chapter 7 right now, some areas you explore are truly beautiful, sadly I experienced some bugs and weird animations. Overall I enjoy it.
So far I prefer the first game of the series, curious if this will change once I finished the game.

Enjoy your weekend guys and gals and lots of fun with whatever game you are playing.

PS This Helldivers 2 ad, which is occupying 1/3 of my tablet screen is utterly annoying. ^^

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

I started this much later than most people, so I'm only about 12 hours in right now, but I'm loving it. Not surprising given how much I loved Remake, but it's still a good thing regardless.

@The_Pixel_King In Graphics mode, the game looks fantastic overall. Performance mode is a blurry mess though. Yes, it still looks ok, but a game for the PS5 should not look blurry like that. They are working on it, so if they can fix the resolution, it will look great in both modes. I just switched to Graphics mode and adjusted the camera speed, so it looks great and still moves close enough to 60 for now.

I'm only 2 trophies away from platinuming Octopath Traveler 2!
When that's finally finished I may dip back into Granblue Fantasy Relink or Push through a finish my 1st run of Star Ocean 2 Remake which I paused near the end. I might pick up Rebirth soon but wont play it right away.

Ah yes, and I'm still playing and enjoying Foamstars!

Happy Weekend!

I think maybe wrapping up The Outer Worlds and GoT: Iki Island if I get the chance this weekend, before deciding what to move on to next 😬😬 Hogwarts Legacy got a hard pause as I was falling off it and then they announced they'd be dropping some kind of "thank you" update this year anyway, so thought I'd just wait to pick it up at some point down the line.

I do really want a demo for Rise of the Ronin or Dragon's Dogma 2, as they seem like games that you will have to play to decide whether they are worth full price digital. But failing that, waiting to see streamers start the games to see if either draw me in.

Be interesting to see if any of these new releases get potential game of the year hype, or if this year is going to be more subdued on that front.

Started my 2nd run of Rebirth last night, using Japanese audio, and dynamic. I can't get enough of this game, and of course, I "wasted" about an hour trying to play Supertramp (Long Way Home) in the flashback. Whoops. Hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I am!

I haven’t played much since last weekend. My work schedule has been hectic, and my wife and I took a mini vacation during the weekday(s). She surprised me with NBA tickets to my favorite team, so we spent several days out of town relaxing. But it’s healthy to take a break from gaming once in a while.

If I do find time this weekend, I’ll be spending it playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I am currently in the infamous Gold Saucer area and it has been a magical experience so far. My feelings on the game have only grown deeper — this is an amazing reimagining of an all-time classic. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds.

Back to the Tomb Raider Trilogy for me after just finishing Rebirth. My plan was to stick with and beat all the Tomb Raider games back to back but I’ve decided to take a break and move onto a different game after each one. Already had burn out after finishing the first game and its expansion. So once I’m done with Tomb Raider II I might crack on with Chernobylite.

@freddquadros good to know i’m in for a treat

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) - That is one big underground lake...

Jet Car Stunts (Windows Phone) - I should finish this tomorrow.

Lode Runner Classic (Windows Phone) - Finally got back to this after a lengthy break.

The 3 main games on PS5. WWE 2K24, FF7 Rebirth, and Unicorn Overlord. Tekken 8 on Series X.

@The_Pixel_King Yeah, it strangely doesn't feel that much different outside of the camera panning being a bit choppy in 30. That's why I adjusted the camera speed, as it brings it as close to the camera panning in 60 as you can get. The characters move somewhat heavily or whatever you want to call it, so I barely noticed any difference in that regard when I switched.

Sad to see few people playing Unicorn Overlord. It’s fantastic and my early GoTY. Bloody brilliant!

More FF7 Rebirth. I'm about to go to the Gold Saucer. And I couldn't be more excited cause I just know it'll be filled with tons of great little character moments and the gang taking a break from all the dungeon crawling and fiend fighting with a bunch of mini games

Still on Rebirth two weeks on. Only halfway through according to the Game Progress function on the PS5. Once I've completed it, I'll start Unicorn Overlord.

@awp69 I have the demo installed but I havent had the time to delve into it given its 8hrs.

I REALLY want to though. The "passive" battles gave me pause. What is it like not controlling a squad directly in those battles?

Up to chapter 12 of Infinite Wealth. Such a great game / series.

I recently started the Burning shores expansion for HFW. I don’t know how long it is but am hoping to finish it before next week in time for Rise of the Ronin.

Finished up Alan Wake 2 and Sifu last night. Going to start Star Trek Resurgence today, need a quick game since both DD and Rise of the Ronin are coming out this week. Have a great weekend everyone.

I’m playing Remnant 2 and have reached the final boss after less than a week lol. I actually didn’t play the first one because when it released I was busy w other games, but it always intrigued me. Anyway, Remnant 2 is excellent! I plan on trophy hunting after the end credits roll. Happy Saturday!

I'm still playing Tekken 8🤭 have a great weekend folks 😄

I kicked off by doing minor surgery on my PCs graphics card - the new fan is nice and quiet. Having some fun replaying games I've already spent a ton of time on. I bought Resident Evil 2 Remake on Steam so I could enjoy some mods, namely the fixed camera/ tank controls. I'm half way through a Hardcore S+ Leon A run to unlock some goodies, then I'll start with the modding.

Persona 3 Reload got me in to the Persona mood, so I'm running Royal for the third time. My first play through, I didn't get to play the third semester since I missed leveling up a confidant in time, so this will be the second time I see this part. I have also never maxed all of the confidants, so I'm aiming for that this time around too.

As for new games, I may finally take the plastic off of Octopath Traveler II if I have the time this weekend. Tomorrow is going to be a whole lot of outdoors time - gotta change the oil in the lawn mower, sharpen the blades, cut the back yard, and burn the brush pile.

Taxi Life - I like it, could be better but whatever.
Crosscode - it's fun, I like those "it's in a mmo" type single player games. Lea is cool as well.
Llamasoft - really interesting, nice to try out all his older games too.

My heart will be pumping straight Liber-tea through my arteries all weekend while I proudly don my cape to spread democracy for Super Earth!!!

Tomb Raider Remastered for me - pure nostalgia overload! I loved the originals and this updated version is brilliant.

It's great being able to instantly switch between the original and updated graphics modes so you can see what a great job they've done updating the visuals.

I'm playing with modern controls. They're not perfect (you can only jump back with your weapons drawn for example) but once you get the hang of it, it's not a problem.

@3Above There’s so much strategy involved in creating squads, upgrading them, figuring out what skills they should priority (and that’s incredibly deep down to what type of unit, health and more), when to deploy them, watching your AP points, etc., etc.

It’s a very deep game and it’s also better to think of it as an RTS mixed with JRPG. Anyway, I wasn’t sure about that either but those concerns went away fast as I realized how much more there is to the game.

If you play the demo, you’ll understand and it puts its hooks into you (or at least that’s what happened to me).

Just beat granblue fantasy relink. I don't know what I'll play next yet..maybe I'll start the psvr2 game I bought legendary tales or something on xbox or switch

Resident Evil (Director's Cut) for the 1st time since its original release

I’ve finally accepted that I’m not going to finish RE4 remake and uninstalled it. I don’t know why I couldn’t get through it but for some reason it’s not clicking for me. I loved the original and have beaten it multiple times in the past.

I’ve tried to get into a few other games but nothings held my attention for long. I ended up picking up Jedi Survivor in the latest sale and I’m actually enjoying that - I think From Software ruined a lot of games for me, and this is a similar style of gameplay to dark souls etc.

And Helldivers 2 of course. Liberty isn’t going to fight for itself.

@awp69 Nice!! That sounds great, I just need to carve out the time to properly play the demo. I do think I'll buy the game eventually this year, its just when.

Ff7 Rebirth. I was hoping to finish it before Dragons Dogma 2 comes out but that’s definitely not gonna happen. This game is massive but I’m loving every minute.

Star wars jedi survivor which has become one of my favorite 2023 games. May not be revolutionary but it does everything right and the combat is just so enjoyable.

PS5 wise:
Returnal
FFVII Remake Rebirth
MGS2
Star ocean second story R
Possibly cult of the lamb

PS4 wise:
ESO
Tunic
GTA3
Dragon’s Dogma

Fighting for liberty and managed democracy in Helldivers 2 of-course. And I'll be trying to finish off Ghostwire before it leaves PS+ next week. AND if I need another breather from those, I've just started up Resistance Retribution. Great weekend.

Final Fantasy VII Remake and FF XVI.

I'm hooked on Duolingo learning Japanese. Once my nieces have gone to bed I'll finish my current book. Is Mother Dead. The PS5 and Switch haven't been on in quite some time. Plenty to look forward to when I get the urge to game again though. Also picked up where I left off with Star Trek. Dropped it at Voyager a few years back but feel I'm ready to dive back In. Have a great weekend everyone!

@SterlingEyes Maybe you just need a break from gaming, I find if I take a week or two off and come back I enjoy games a lot more.

@GuttyYZ I did that last year. Took 10 months off. Came back a few months back and now my backlog is even bigger lol

Yeah, still can't stop playing Helldivers 2.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS5) - am nearing the end of the Suthexe arc. Because I'm cleaning up every marker on the map as I go, I'm ridiculously over-levelled for the area.

Gears of War: Definitive Edition (XSX) - have never played a Gears game before and am enjoying this immensely.

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (Switch) - completed the timeline yesterday. Really good historical retrospective but I'm not sure I'll return to many of the games. Will now move back to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 which I parked in Chapter 6.

Balatro (Steam) - playing a fair bit of this time suck.

After getting my PS2 to play nice with my modern TV finally, I've dug my Mega Drive/CD out so have mostly been playing early Sonic, with a bit of Road Avenger. Because I miss being 12.

I hit the open world in Rebirth last night and got VERY distracted running around.

I am playing FFVII: Rebirth and try to beat the fifth brutal challenge-- oof they are as tough as stone! I can't give up because I don't know what the concept of defeat is ^__^

Shadow of the Erdtree in around three months, so a third playthrough of Elden Ring with a faith build. Besides BG3, there's nothing I've yet played on PS5 that comes close to this level of quality, so I'm always finding an excuse to play it again.

On Steam, Fallout 3 and my usual daily dose of RS14.

Playing Control, Bastion, Motorstorm Apocalypse and Rocket League

I’m almost done with chapter 9 in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Right now I’m barreling through so I can see the whole story then I’ll go back and do the video game/checklist type objectives. I also picked up AEW Fight Forever. It’s not the best wrestling game but it’s fun and a nice change of pace from the WWE 2K series.

Zero Time Dilemma and Unicorn Overlord

Playing uncharted on the PS5 and Minecraft/ Mario kart on the switch with my boy🫡

Mostly handheld this weekend. Paper Mario on Switch, and Sly Cooper on Vita. Happy gaming

600+ hours and counting...

Another weekend, another mammoth session on theHunter Call of the Wild. It's Bison & Boar season following the latest High Caliber DLC. Sausage and Steak is on the menu...

Just finished Moonscars on Saturday. Recommend it strongly.

Playing Quake II until DD2 is out.

Im a glutton for punishment so am continuing with Ea PGA tour, it’s crazy hard right now and the broken difficulty setting doesn't help
I have it on 1 and the ai golfers are still going -7 lol
I will master it eventually but the ridiculous difficulty setting does nothing to make it more appealing to new players

Still on Cold Steel 2. Just started act 2. Hoping to get this game done in the next couple of weeks or, not least because the story seems to be really ramping up and I want to know what happens!

Playing Wolfenstein: The Old Blood - I really enjoyed the first game which I played for the first time about a month ago. Definitely going to play Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Wolfenstein: Youngblood soon.

Continuing my “empty Plus backlog before it expires” mission. Tried and didn’t like Scarlet Nexus. Will try Steelrising next.

@Mythologue How did you decide on a build for Elden Ring? I want to do a second playthrough with a build to stuck with for the whole ride. I find it difficult to imagine which build will be suitable for the endgame though.

I finished the main game/end bosses on my first playthrough, but had to totally rebuild my character for the final boss with the help of a YT video. It was the first souls game I ever finished, so I’m no expert in this. It all seems a bit overwhelming to oversee it all while making the crucial first build decisions.

Fell again in Gt7. Some sport races, a bit of sport hotlaps, maestro licence galore.. A truly GREAT racing game, 120 hrs on.

Anything not mp related.

Took a trip and walked up scarfell pike this weekend, so just had the switch. Played a few hours of balatro, very addictive can see what the hype is about! Favourite card based game since slay the spire.

Oh boi oh boy it’s time for another incredible and amazing WAYP. Busy busy week of games as this week I not only beat all of FFXIV: Endwalker as far as MSQ is concerned meaning I’m all caught up for Dawntrail but also I beat Trails of Cold Steel IV YIPPEE. And not only that but because of super lucky set of game trades at GameStop I was able to purchase Prince Of Persia The Lost Crown, PGA Tour 23 Deluxe Edition, Helldivers 2 and I scored a preorder on Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes. Granted these were all on PS5 so I may need to make more time for that then switch but hey I got Princess Peach Showtime coming this week. And Hi-Fi Rush. And Dragon’s Dogma 2…… hahahahahaha. That’s not even beginning to mention the absolute mother-load of amiibos I got like Rosalina, Steve and Alex and Donkey Kong to name a few. I think another Amiibo photo shoot is in order. For the rest of the weekend I have some lovely plans so I don’t think I’ll get any gaming in outside of maybe a game of Mario Party Superstars or Nintendo Switch Sports. But going forward plans are mostly the games I’ve already listed plus getting into Trails Into Reverie, Another Code: Recollection, Mario Vs Donkey Kong, Penny’s Big Breakaway, Unicorn Overlord and Splatoon 3 Side Order on Switch. Like I said it’s really PS5 where I got games on games to work through. Still got stuff like Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth and Persona 3 Reload and Granblue Fantasy Relink and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.. Oh and I wanna work on that Eiyuden Chronicle Rising prequel thing. Got it a couple years back and never played it. As for anime of the week gotta keep it simple and just to the ones I watched before knocking out super early due to my new work position tiring me out ahahah. And those would just be Frieren and Delusional Monthly Magazine. Frieren is a all time great. As for Podcasts it’s the usuals. Castle Superbeast and Big Think Dimension, RPGsites Tetracast and Into the Aether, Windbreaker and Firelink, Summon Sign and the Superb Remap Radio. As always a lovely shoutout to my good friend at twitch.tv/akibread and their excellent soothing streams. Make sure to be good to one other another and stay safe y’all. Happy St. Patrick’s Day ☘️. Have a good rest of your weekend. And Happy Gaming.

@LN78 I remember really enjoying this game! One of the last decent AA superhero movie game. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is another solid one.

I just finished ff7R (loved it) and started intermission. Also started the order 1886 which I’m playing in French and really enjoying that too

@doctommaso majoras is one of my favorite games of all time. Give the three day cycle a chance to settle in and it’ll feel like second nature by the end

Going to finish up my playthrough of Judgement and then go back to enjoying FF16! I’ll probably continue my Yakuza series playthrough after I knock a couple games off the backlog.

Just threw together a Batocera build and am playing Scarface.

So … hear me out and don’t come for me - ok! I’ve been really really tired recently, to the point that I’ve only gamed at weekends.

That creates a problem cos after a week at work, you’re not in the rhythm of the game you were playing anymore.

So…

AC Valhalla gets released on ps+. It’s mindless. Mostly it involves clearing markets off your map to fulfil a time honoured gameplay loop.

Yes- it’s uninspired. Yes - it’s very tedious at times in terms of narrative. Yes - I understand ALL the criticisms of it and the Ubisoft formula. But … I don’t have to think and I can put several hours in every evening.

Now I’m going for the f***ing platinum and platinums aren’t even my thing. Sorry to all the hive minds I’ve offended by saying so. Over. Out.

@playstation1995 what chapter are you on in Judgment?

@Doctor_BK. I actually just finished fighting the first boss fight.murase its a amazing game.word up son