Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 424

Gonna be swapping between Kirby and The Forgotten Land and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Torna this weekend.

I'm still playing Yakuza:Like a Dragon and grinding job levels. 😭😭😂😂 I need one trophy for the platinum, thank god for the long weekend.

Gotta finish Valkyria Chronicles before it's removed from PS Now.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Dawn Of Ragnarok. A few hours in and decent so far. I was looking foward to Sifu but seems to be a delay on stock from where I ordered so thats disappointing. Will probably pick up House Of Ashes while waiting for The Quarry

Playing fire emblem fates birthright on my 3DS. Not liking it as much as awakening so far but still a great game.

Gonna finally start yakuza 5 on my ps4/5. Only have 5, 6, LaD and dead souls left to play. Played all other games including the 2 judgment games and fist of the north star already.

On xbox I might start mass effect 3, and next week I’ll play yoku’s island express.

Just got a PS5 so I'll be playing some Gran Turismo 7 which I've been really enjoying so far and it makes brilliant use of the controller. Also picked up Ratchet & Clank and I'm downloading the likes of The Last of Us 2 and FFVII to give a go on PS5. I need to get Virtua Fighter 5 too and I'm contemplating the Uncharted upgrade

Levelling up talismans in FotNS Lost Paradise, then going into NG+

Finally watched the Uncharted movie yesterday. Tried my best to enjoy what I knew beforehand was sort of a "stupid" movie, but no dice... there was just nothing good about this boring, uncharismatic movie adaption.

Don't have much time to game this weekend but I think I'll have a look into the Bugsnax DLC. I really enjoyed the base game, loads of fun and a lot of dry and dark humor which I didn't expect at all when I first started it.

@PenguinL That was exactly my initial thinking but after 15 hours it all clicked

I'm at Leyndell in Elden Ring, about 50 hours in. Really loving it, although I have some big problems with it, and it's definitely worse than both Bloodborne and Sekiro in my book. Still, I'm adoring it, and hoping to make some good progress this weekend!

@darkswabber I'm not a big fates fan to be honest - all the characters are very one-note, and the birthright maps drag quite a lot for me. I would strongly recommended conquest, despite the nonsensical plot, its map design is some of the best out of the fire emblem games I've played!

Hitman Absolution. Enjoying it but find the difficulty spikes just come out of nowhere and you really get punished for not having the right disguise from a previous mission.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Switch.

Still playing Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana on my Ps5. That game is so good. The combat and music especially is very good. Am a little over half and enjoying it very much.

On my Xbox I restarted cyberpunk 2077. Can't say much about it yet only 2 hours in so far.

As promised last week I have achieved the platinum in elden ring and have moved on to death stranding. Only on chapter 3 so far and not entirely sure how I feel about it yet. There's definetly alot of cool ideas i like but it hasn't got its hooks in me fully yet. Hopefully with a bit more time.

Trying out my new ps now subscription trying to get my first PS3 platinum with ratchet and clank a crack in time

I've started Life Is Strange: True Colours on Game Pass and it's pretty enjoyable so far. Really liking the Chens. Also still playing the brill Lego Star Wars, GT7 and some GTA Online.

Beat HFW after 115hrs, that ending looking like Part3 is coming or some DLC, will be looking forward to it, such a joy to play. Now it's just Elden Ring for me. ER's world just continues to amaze after 167hrs with just 3 main bosses beaten still. It seems the bosses are avoiding me or have gone on vacation or something haha. Indeed it's a fackin masterpiece! The world is just frightening compared to other open worlds and not as in the enemies, but the sheer scope is just terrifying. ER is just on another level! It's up there with RDR2.

@Fuzzymonkeyfunk My first PS3 platinum was Infamous in 2009.

Nioh 2 for me, and Kena with my daughter, maybe a bit of it takes two with the wife.

Well I hammered it all week and earned my 100th platinum with AC Odyssey so I'm putting that to bed for a while. Think I'll play something a bit shorter. Probably hit my backlog and murder some robots on Vanquish. Have a good weekend all!

@Hootnoodle Podcasts will make the grind a lot easier bruh, trust me

Back on elden ring and back to the golf course as well..have a good bank holiday everybody 👍

Manhunt.Nioh 2 with all the dlcs.salt and sanctuary.and borderlands 2 the handsome collection.watching the movie the night house.watching the nba playoffs.watching whats happening.good times.sanford and sons.martin saved by the bell.word up son

Well this week finally finished Returnal, what a relief! A relentlessly tough but a one-of-a-kind experience, even in the roguelite space it feels quite unique. Im going to play some easier games before diving into Elden Ring finally.

PS5
Resident Evil Villiage
Started this one up and finished the first werewolf attack. Such a cool blend of RE4 with RE7. Only thing that annoys me is it would be incrediable in VR, in fact it feels built for it. Im guessing this will come out for the PSVR2, but at that point ill have already completed.

Quest 2
Ninja Legends
Short and simple arcade-y wave slasher with nonstop ninjas. Lots of fun if pretty damn challenging in the later stages. Will prob wrap over the weekend.

Half-life Alyx
Paused my intial playthrough due to airlink streaming issues. Now playing via Virtual Desktop and its been slightly better. Am at the halfway point.. what else can i say? Its a masterpiece. Still have to pinch myself that im playing a new game by Valve.

So last week I finally beat Elden Ring, making it the first FromSoftware Soulsbourne game I beat and did the plat trophy too!

Now I'm loving Nobody Saves the World which is a delightful game!
I reinstalled Ace Attorney trilogy just because I'm binging Better Call Saul lol
I am also now trying to finish Sekiro. Wish me luck

@ShadowofSparta it's the only thing keeping my sanity in check 😂😂

Picked up some new games this week, Horizon: Forbidden West on PS4, Stanley Parable on Switch. I really liked the first Horizon, felt like I was fighting Zoids. Only played a bit of the intro, but looks really good even on PS4. Also bought low budget 1st person Dungeon Crawler Heros of the Monkey Tavern on Switch as was so cheap in a sale. I am a fan of 1st person, grid based dungeon crawlers, ever since I played FTLs Dungeon Master on the Atari ST many years ago. That style of game is a rare genre these days, particularly on consoles. Not a great game, but well suited to portable play on Switch.

@Hootnoodle make sure to grind the hobos in the sewer. Also focus on leveling jobs with elemental attacks. Host is great for an ice attack which is useful in the final millennium tower.

Loved Yakuza Like a Dragon so much to the point I kinda wanna play the ps4 version sometime this year and do that grind all over again.

For me, just finished Elden Ring, about 105 hours.
V much enjoyed it.
3 hours in to Horizon 2, reminds me a lot of this game...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enslaved:_Odyssey_to_the_West

Which is odd, because the first one didn't.

The environments, the premise. Deja vu.

Oh, also bought Lost Judgement, so that'll be a week or so to start.

I just completed Remnant: From the Ashes on XSX. Lots of fun, although quite challenging at times especially on hard.

This weekend my main focus will be on Demon’s Souls. Picked it up brand-new for just $15. Really excited to dive in!

Continuing Ghostwire Tokyo, it is a pretty chill game and I'm enjoying the batsh*t crazy story, think I'll go for the plat.

Will no doubt dip into GT7 and also a bit of Chaos Engine on the A500 mini

I’ve taken a break from Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Forbidden West this week to resume my playthrough of Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut. I’m now 52 hours in and on the final stretch this weekend.

Nothing but I suppose I'll start Everybody's Gone To The Rapture on Monday or Tuesday. Gotta put those five stacked years of PS Now to good use.

@Jayslow thanks for the tip, I checked online for the necessary jobs and levels I needed 😁

Chilling with Yagami & Kaito.

@Fragile tbh, I felt that but after checking around it's lot more simple that I expected. Just a little annoying and slow 😂😂😂. Thank god for podcasts. I just forgot to focus on Host as it has a very useful ice/water skill

Now that I'm done with Horizon Forbidden West, I have moved to continuing my extremely slow playthrough of the Halo series on my Series X. I'm on Halo 3 now and am enjoying it like I expected to.

I had started Spyro the Dragon on my PS5 before that, but it didn't click with me like I had hoped. I still might mix it in on occasion as I have been doing after starting Halo 3 and finish it since I don't like to leave unfinished games if I can. It's ok, but some of the clear signs of it being such an old game have frustrated me more than the good Insomniac traits have shined through.

I have the day to myself because my fiancé is going wedding dress shopping, so I think I’ll mostly play Rogue Legacy 2. The game is fantastic so far, and I thoroughly enjoy the upgrade system, character variety, and overall humor.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe for me! I loved the original on Steam and haven't replayed it since then, so it's been fun to revisit and see the new content. I'm also still hooked on Hades, making progress maxing out all the relationships and cleaning up some last prophecies.

The ascent, the last of Kirby, everybody’s golf, wRC 4 on vita for some reason and not using a mic in hell let loose.

Getting close to the end of Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart (PS5) so hopefully get that wrapped up this afty. Probably a bit of GT7 then who knows?!

Have a good weekend people, and a bonus bank holiday for those in the UK.

As I will atend the marriage of one of my best friends, I won't play too much this weekend. If I return in time, I will play Horizon FW, and maybe Assassin's Creed III or Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. Felt a urge to play a classic FF, and 8 was the only one I had finished just once.

Twisted Metal 2 (PS) - I'm still clearing different characters, up next is Shadow.

CarneyVale: Showtime (Windows Phone) - Still not put alot of time into this one yet.

ExZeus 2 (Windows Phone) - Still high score chasing.

@Milktastrophe I'm only 2 trophies away of platinum VC. Played it back in PS3 and now on PS4. A very special game.

I've been playing Demon Turf the last few nights after platinuming Forbidden West.
It's a fun game.

Switch: Finishing up Kirby and the Forgotten Land, making more progress in Xenoblade Chronicles DE.

PS5: Returnal, the game that keeps on giving

Other: Pokemon Fire Red Nuzlocke. One of my favorite Pokemon titles right next to gen 2 and 3.

Happy gaming, everyone!

I just finished Horizon 2 this week. Really liked it a lot once I got past the beginning sections thankfully. Now that that is finished though I jumped into Anno: Mutationem and have been having an awesome time with it so far even if it's a little rough in some areas so that will probably take up my weekend.

After avoiding it since launch cos of the high difficulty, I finally caved and bought Elden Ring. Apparently you can explore quite a lot of the map without even facing a boss, though obviously you won’t finish it if you do this! The fact that it’s open world also persuaded me to buy it, as if I get stuck on a boss I can just go off somewhere else and try and level up. It’s still very early days - I’ve only just got the horse - but I’m enjoying it so far.
I’m also playing Gran Turismo 7 - I’m on the final menu! And on Switch I’m playing The last friend. I only have about half a dozen quests left on Horizon Forbidden West, but I’m starting to feel burnt out on the game, so don’t know if I’ll actually finish it 😟

Nearing the end in Horizon Forbidden West. I really need more time to play...

For me it’s always Elden Ring and GT7. Working on completing both as thoroughly as possible.

On the flip side enjoying Shadow Warriors 3 as a palette cleanser and….

Finally dove into the House In Fata Morgana to see what all the fuss was about when it came out.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

PS5: Mafia 3 (gave up on Mafia 2, too many bugs)
Switch: Mario Deluxe U
Vita: Dragon's Crown
Really loving the Vita and its OLED display. Kinda wish I had gone with an OLED for my main PS5 tv. Have a good one guys!

So I bought the first 3 trilogies of the Atelier Series this week, that was a lot of money out of the bank account, but they almost never go on sale and for some reason Koei Tecmo values these games as much as Nintendo and their first party games as I got each game for about AU$30 each, 9 games(although I already had one of them so 8), don't do the math please😭😭😭 I haven't splurged on games this much in a long time so I couldn't resist and I'd rather stock up on RPG's as and not wait a full year for the games to get to this price again. The more I'm typing the more I'm trying to justify a stupid yet worth it purchase😂😂😂

Anyways, I'm playing more Monster Hunter Rise, I've picked up the Bow and have fallen in love and have spent all my time crafting new builds all week, still can't believe how enraptured with this game I am, 200 hours in now and the more I play it the more hyped I get for Sunbreak at the end of June.

I played and beat Toem this week, I bought it in a bundle as my general rule with bundles now is don't buy it unless the games in it are worth the amount that I'd pay for the games I already wanted and the leftover or games I'm not sure I will like come as a bonus. This game is basically a photography game mixed with exploration in small interconnected environments. The premise of the games' progression you need to do tasks to help out characters or taking a picture of a particular object or animal to collect enough stamps to get a free bus ride to travel to the next location. Rinse and repeat 5 times for about 5 hours and you have a very satisfying gameplay loop at an extremely relaxed pace and good vibes. This is a hard recommend from me and recommend if you can find it in a good sale.

I also uninstalled League of Legends for the 30th time so good for me ( this is the time I quit for good I swear😪). Anyways, as always thanks for reading and have a good week next week😊😊😊

Kaze and Ni No Kuni II are my main games this weekend. Looks like lots of rain so time for something colorful!

I've tried again and again to enjoy Cyberpunk but it's just not happening. Going to put it down and wait for all DLC/whatever to release.

I'm going to keep working on Uncharted 3 (ps4).

@GorosBat Totally valid purchase, you will enjoy them immensely! Adding to the collection never requires any further justification besides having a passion and love for gaming enjoy!

@sentiententity there is something very special about lots of rain and lots of weekend being open. I still need to play through Kaze! Ni No Kuni 2 was solid, but I liked the first one a bit more.

Just King of Fighters 15 for PS4

1. Elden Ring: PS5
2. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: PS5 (glad its a rental, confused by it 🤔)
3. F1 2021: SteamDeck
4. LEGO Skywalker Saga: SteamDeck (gave in at $39)

If you want to spread the money around (and have a PC). LEGO Skywalker Saga is $39 and MH:RISE is $25 at GreenManGaming

@ItsATM My first foray into the series was Atelier Lulua, look back at why TF did I start with the 4th entry in its ark, I know I only bought it because it was the latest release at the time but me playing Rorona for the first time makes me question what I was smoking. Now once I eventually return to it in let's be honest 3 years as I like playing games in order and 9 games between me and revisiting the game that started the franchise for me, I will actually understand the throwbacks and get a richer experience with Lulua the second time round. Honestly the series is so chill compared to other JRPGs and refreshing that anyone can hop in even if it is like the second or third entry in the ark. The feeling of the series is wholly unique in the sense that the narratives don't have high stakes where the world is ending like in almost every other JRPG. That and the heavy focus on crafting which I don't see in most games period is what drew me into the series to begin with!

@carlos82 Enjoy your PS5! I can't recommend the Uncharted upgrade enough for $10/£10. It's stunning

Nothing, as it happens too much snooker and soccer on the box. Maybe a mid session break?

Finally have gotten around to starting God of War (2018) and my goodness what have I missed all this time. What a masterpiece so far and love the funny banter between Kratos and Atreus.

@CthulhuFhtagn
It's kind of difficult to really nail it down any which way. The dungeons have a pretty healthy mix of action and exploration while there are also some hub worlds that remind me kind of how Mass Effect 2 did their hub world design with interesting little side quests here and there like this one involving a murder case in your apartment complex that was really cool.

I also actually like the combat a lot personally but to each their own. My main issue is I've spotted multiple grammar/translation errors in the dialog boxes. It's not enough to ruin the experience but it's definitely noticeable. Overall though I'm liking it quite a bit so far.

It's a long weekend here so I'll be playing more Horizon Forbidden West. I was playing Stranger of Paradise with friends but that game is out staying its welcome.

Will be finishing off Yakuza 5 (story at least) what a rollercoaster this game has been. I've liked each game better than the last regardless of being outdated compared to 0 and kiwami 1/2.

Bought a few games in the sales recently and still have ER and GotG to play. Will see where the weekend takes me since I'm home alone for 2 nights.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

About 10 hours in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, I love the combat, being a mage has been pretty fun, can't say much about the story, don't really care, too bad because the voice acting is amazing.

On cyberpunk. Finally got round to playing the ps5 version

Got the platinum for Tales of Arise. Not my favorite Tales of game and it becomes a bit of a slog towards the end but overall still fantastic

Now I'm probably gonna start up Mass Effect. Always wanted to play this series but never got around to it. Here's hoping it's as good as everyone says

Completed sonic mania last night & I just bought tormented souls so I'll playing that

Elden Ring. It’s all I play these days.

@ErrantRob man Elden ring is good. 5th play through for me and platinum on PS4 and Ps5 lol. Let’s go DLC 😏

Some gt7 and snooker 19 career mode as well as watching some snooker on tv and maybe bit of rdr2,all good ,have great weekend

I dropped $50 on Deluxe Sinking City for this weekend and was pretty disappointed in it. Very janky, empty city with characters and plot that’s hard to care about. Had to check I had the PS5 version, graphics and animation look like an early PS4 game, or even Unity engine (it’s running unreal). So that was $50 wasted, I should have checked the PS5 review here first.

So yeah, just playing a few Switch games instead. Apart from finishing off the last part of Elden Ring, not much going on with the PS5, I’m not seeing anything this year worth getting excited about too. People are still offering $1000 for a PS5 on eBay, so I’m tempted to do that and pick up a new one in a year or two when there’s more stuff.

I shall be playing farming simulator 22 and 17 and the one game I can't get enough of is Train Sim World 2 I am always playing this game. But it's ideal for me being a dedicated rail enthusiast as I can relive the days of my youth when I use to spend my days on the railway station with other rail enthusiasts swapping stories on the loco and stock that had been seen in the past weeks. Farming simulator 22 is a great game to play and to some people they will find it boring looking after your big farm and trending to your animals. But the game can be challenging especially when it's winter and the snow is here.

@freddquadros I'm wavering between liking it and hating it. Some levels are just not fun because there seems to be only one very specific strategy that works. Like I've just had to start over chapter 13 (trench battle) because I didn't destroy a canon in the very beginning that didn't seem like a threat to me. But it turns out at the end of the level my tank gets placed in front of it and promptly destroyed.

Still on GT7, will try to get gold on the Maggiore hour race, and do a bit of grinding....the Tomahawk got fun with the last update introducing intermediate tyres, it's faster with more jeopardy at the same time, fingers crossed Polyphony leave it as it is now

@KilloWertz yh i had a similar experience with spyro, started it all hyped after finishing Crash N Sane trilogy but it was a much different game. I didnt touch it for a year again, but then got back into it while i was struggling with Returnal. Its pretty enjoyable as a switch your brain off detour while playing something more demanding...just dont expct more then a colorful collectathon with cool looking levels.

@ThorsHammer Yeah, I'll probably go back to it at some point, at least as a change of pace if I only have a short time to play something sometimes. That is once I reinstall it since I deleted the trilogy yesterday out of frustration after the hot air ballon guy told me I had to free 50 dragons to advance and I only had 35.

@KilloWertz oh, your just before the last world then. Use the journal to teleport back to any spots your missing dragons and you can wrap it pretty quick.

@ThorsHammer Thanks. I guess I shouldn't have been so quick to get frustrated as I didn't think there were 15 that I missed somehow. I figured it would take me quite a bit of time to find that many. I decided to start Cyberpunk 2077 finally, so it's not like I need something else to play, but someday I'll go back and wrap it up.

@Milktastrophe It's trully a very hard game. Took a long time to finish on PS3. As I knew what to expect on the remaster, it was faster. Some stages carry very unfair conditions.