Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 430

In preparation for Ragnarok, I’m about 20 hours into my debut playthrough of God of War (2018). Why did it take me this long to play such a masterpiece? I absolutely love the game. Other than that, I’m occasionally dipping into Returnal (for the first time in several months) for the odd run, as well chalking off the last couple of menus in the fabulous Gran Turismo 7.

At last. Finaly got Elden Ring platinum last night. Admittedly its taken just under 390 hours and a lvl 444 character, but I loved it.

Ghostwire Tokoyo is next in line and Im excited to dive in. I know its not everyines cup of tea, but it really appeals to me and Im sure ill enjoy it!

Saturday busy
Sunday HFW.

I just need one more trophy to get the platinum in gran turismo 7 after I finally got S rank in all licences. And ive finally gone back to cyberpunk since I put it down when elden ring came out, so they should both keep me busy.

@Titntin
I am used to a more assassins creed
HFW etc type hardness.
Tried Demon Souls remake found it
tough and only got to the second main boss.

How would Elden Ring do for me?

Aiming to finish the 3rd region in Nioh 1… but some of these bosses are causing me some horrific hardships ha!

Hoping to boot up Monster Hunter Rise again also, having put it down probably around 1yr ago. Need to do some build checks ahead of Sunbreak at the end of this month, and also re-familiarise myself with the greatness of the Greatsword!

Playing AC Odyssey, Legacy of the Hidden Blade DLC on PS5, and Final Fantasy 3 on PC. Got second Elden Ring platinum last weekend, missing the game a little bit, probably will watch people playing it on YouTube.

After 326hrs my Tarnished became Lord of the Frenzied. There are still a lot places left undiscovered even though I went all nook and cranny. I feel greedy and ungrateful that it came to an end, I wanted more. That's just how much you can't stop playing Elden Ring. Plus I think I found Radagon and that stupid Draconic Tree Sentinel at Maliketh's door harder than the much hyped Malenia. Probably took 2hrs on Radagon, 30mins on Malenia and about 5 fackin hrs on that Draconic Tree Sentinel. Now I don't really know what to play, maybe Metro Exodus or Mafia Remake or anything.

Factions love! Finally!

I'm pretty much always falling back to Factions. No matter how good other multiplayer games are, at the end of the day I get bored and they end up not being good enough and I fall back to Factions

That and Tales of Arise this weekend

@Bigtuna515 hey snap!, I'm playing both those games as well.

😉

Got a feeling I'm getting close to the end of the main story in Cyberpunk 2077, so will take my time and do some side stuff as I'm definitely not ready to finish it yet. It's been a bit of a slow burner at times, but I have reached the point where I can say that I'm a big fan of this game.

In GT 7 I have completed the Licence tests so doing some circuit experiences, missions and Menu stuff. Love it, perfect game for a quick 30 minute blast or so.

Also, looking forward to the Xbox show tomorrow. I think they're going to have some real bangers on show.

Have a good one, folks!

@PenguinLtd Dark Souls Remaster is great, and nowhere near as punishing as the media/internet rhetoric would suggest!

It just doesn’t do a great job of explaining the fundamental mechanics, nor does it advise just how important and nuanced the build system is…

Many, including myself, make a classic ‘first playthrough’ error of spreading character stats equally throughout the 10-11 categories. This is a recipe for disaster, and instead you need to focus on 3-4 max stats to level - dependant on the kind of character you want to build

I would say this - do some homework on the game mechanics before starting, and have an idea about what sort of build you’re aiming for… this will ensure you don’t waste stat points in undesirable categories

Finally - don’t get to caught up in what starting class you select, ultimately you can spec any class into most builds. Starting class only really implicates your beginning equipment and weapons, ‘Knight’ is probably a solid choice for a first timer

It really is great, and might whet your appetite for the almighty Elden Ring down the road..!

I've recently picked up playing The Division 2 after an extended break, really caught the bug for it again. So will sink a few hours into it this weekend.

Having finally got my Platinum in Sifu last night I will be starting the Quarry & I can't wait. I have 2 menu books left on GT7, so if I get chance will knock those out too.

Happy gaming all 🎮🕹👍

@Rob_230 funnily enough I would say Ghostwire was the noisiest disc I have had in my PS5, could be pure coincidence (it no doubt is) but pretty weird! Nothing else really makes a noise hence me noticing it!

Been playing lost legacy, really enjoyed the game-not a big game tho. Would be nice to see more uncharted games with Chloe as the main star.

Prepping for Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak. Just finished all the quests and have decided to pick up long sword since the community says it's so OP (they were right) and am having a ball learning the new weapon. With Rise's version of hammer being terrible IMO compared to Worlds iteration I've been picking up new weapons I've never used before in the series. I now have Hunting Horn, Sword and Shield, Bow and now Long sword in my repertoire adding countless hours of replayability to this brilliant game!

Also playing I am Fish: Made by the same developers as I Am Bread so this game has janky controls to it and great environmental puzzles aswell. You control 4 different fish who get separated from each other, so they try to reunite using any means to succeed. 3 of the fish have special abilities to get through the levels. The puffer fish can inflate to be able to jump out of water higher than the rest, the piranha can chew stuff up to open new paths and the flying fish is self explanatory.

Pumpkin Jack: I know it's out of season but after playing Kao the Kangaroo I needed more 3d platformer action. I've played 2 levels so far and am enjoying the platforming more, but the combat less compared to Kao. It's also a much better experience in terms of bugs since it's been out longer which was a glaring omission with Kao.

Thanks for reading and have a good week😊😊😊

@Rob_230 @Mostik Don't worry. It's just the PS5 console protesting the playing of a Microsoft owned title.

Cat Quest 1 & 2 Switch
Meow...

@Abeedo 😂 Now I feel dirty 🤣 Or maybe it is a deliberate bug added by Microsoft to sabotage my PS5 🤔

Chuckie Egg, ZX Spectrum

I'm playing The Quarry and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Imo, it is better than any of the Dark Pictures games and so far about on par with Until Dawn which I liked. I just feel interaction is even more limited (which makes sense given the movie mode), so not a lot of walking or active playing but more choices have to be made.

@Mostik The Console Wars have begun employing double agents hahaha.

Eiyuden chronicles: rising, Sherlock Holmes chapter one and I will be playing some zombie army 4 season 3 dlc because it finally went on sale this week.

Still enjoying my return to Genshin Impact and even managed to pull Yelan and Xiao and both of their signature weapons!

Away from PS5 I've dusted off my Dreamcast to play some Metropolis Street Racer. Having a blast thrashing the Toyota MR-S through London while listening to dodgy music from Sega's in-house band. Great stuff. Have a good weekend all!

Should finally finish my playthrough of the last of us part 2, was hoping to play deliver us the moon on ps5 but it got delayed for a few weeks so might play Gris or sea of solitude after. Hoping to start cyberpunk next week

Playing Kaito Files on Ps5, great story so far. Horizon Forbidden West and might pick up Road 96. Series X Im playing Sniper Elite 5 and cant wait for Turtles Shredder's Revenge next week. Hope we get a release date for Cowabunga Collection soon aswell. Switch Im playing Traingle Strategy

Fist of the north star on my ps5. A game by the makers of the Yakuza series and that's very noticeable. Not one of the best of their games but still a highly enjoyable one. Beside that I'm still doing some mission stuff here and there in Lego star wars the Skywalker saga and I'll see if I will continue for the platinum.
On my Xbox im playing ff7. My first ever playthrough. It is noticeable it is an old game but the story is very good so I don't mind

I'm somewhere in the middle of Horizon ZD and it looks glorious on PS5. Can't imagine HFW looking better, honestly. Also, I bought GTA Trilogy Remastered in the last promo so I know what I'll be playing this summer
Aside from that:
On PS3- NBA 2K12 (Association mode with my faves Boston Celtics), Race Driver: Grid (best racing game ever in my book)
Have a nice weekend everyone!

Greedfall with all the dlcs and valkyria chronicles remastered.final fantasy 7 remake and ys 8 lacrimosa of dana.watching resident evil welcome to racoon city movie.watching legendary sitcoms 📺 tv comedy in living color.good times.sanford and sons.saved by the bell.martin.word up son

I'm currently going through Castlevania Rondo of Blood and I'm in the inverted castle on Symphony of The Night. Might play a bit of F1 as well on the Baku circuit

I passed my theory test this week so I'm on cloud 9 and decided to play GOT Ps5 version. I platinumed it on the Ps4 and decided to play through it again as it's one of my faves. ❤️

I'm playing spacelines from the far out, didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I do but I can't stop playing

@Dezzy70 Im the same mate, im not usually a souls like player as I find them so very hard. I have ps5 demon souls but only managed a couple of levels...
Elden ring is tough and uncompromising, but because you can always run away and return once your more powerful, it never felt like their was a brick wall I couldnt get past, there was always somewhere else I could explore or something else I could do.

Knowing I would find it tough, I used guide to help me get started and on the right track, and I started as an astrologer and that was the easiest class to start and make progress for me. Once I was over-powered, I started using swords and shields a lot more.

I put more effort into starting this game on the right foot than I would any other, because I wanted to experience what people were telling me was amazing. It was worth the effort, its trully a game of its generation and worth a little extra effort to get going without dying every two seconds.

It is still willfully obscure, and devilishty tricky in places and full of annoyances like no pause (really?), but depite its flaws, its right up there with skyrim as being a pinnicle of game design within its genre.
I played it right after HFW. They are both very different games, with very different strengths, and both 10s to me for very different reasons.
I cant recommended Elden Ring enough, for once the hype is well deserved and if you can get through the difficulties to start with, you are likely to have an experience you will never forget.
I hope you choose to try it and have an experience as profound as ive had!

Replaying The Last of Us Left Behind! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Red Dead Redemption 2. 🤠🐎

Happy gaming everyone!

Playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Been on and off with it for a good long while now. I've only been playing bits and pieces of it every now and again after I finish a main game before starting the next. So now I'm focusing more time on it so I can get the game marked off my list before I move onto the next thing

Still Horizon Forbidden West. Been play since launch day when I have time mostly on weekends and I’m roughly 120 hours in with IDK maybe 40+ hours to go? Hoping to have it finished by the 9/2/22 to have another play through of Last of Us parts 1 & 2. And have those completed by November if GoW:R does indeed drop. What scares me about Horizon FW is at the next PlayStation Games Showcase a beefy DLC is announced for Fall which I’d love but not until spring. LOL

Clearing up for the yakuza like a dragon plat. Good game.

@somnambulance The Quarry looks good think I will wait for sale. Traingle Strategy is excellent Im over 20 hours now, its fun to grind levels and give the best chance in a tough battle

@TheArt for me I felt the same finishing Elden Ring. I wasn’t quite sure what to play. It’s been three weeks and I still bounce between games and ultimately wind back up in the Lands Between for an hour or two.

For me I need to finish the last few menus of GT7

Then it’s more RE4, Bioshock (aiming for the remastered version to be platinum #100 since Bioshock on PS3 was my first as well) and if I have time NG+ in Elden Ring.

Bugsnax. Last chill game and then I'll try and move onto DA: Inquisition or maybe FF9.

Tales of arise if I get the opportunity

Having a bf2042 weekend with my wingman shockwave1982 and we are having a blast..this new update is just what it needed and conquest exodus is brilliant..this has reignited my love of the bf series and i highly recommend it to past and new players..

It's time to do a second play of Blue Reflection Second light I think. Brilliant title.

Yakuza like a dragon. About 4 hours in, whilst the pacing is a tad pedestrian, I'm enjoying it.

Nothing. The weekend is the tail end of my 60 hour work week.

Hi there fellow gamers,
This weekend, on PS5 I´ll continue with Horizon Forbidden West, maybe do more rounds of KOFXV and try the new Guilty Gear Strive patch and see how much I still struggle with Chipp 😜
Going to also spend some time driving around and race in Forza Horizon 4 on PC and maybe some more Mass Effect Andromeda with mods on PC as well. Mods absolutely change this game I tell you.
Might also play Elden Ring and/or Returnal with a friend on PS5.
Cheers, stay safe, stay healthy and happy gaming to us all

Primarily The Quarry which I’ve nearly finished before a second, more trophy-focused playthrough. Really enjoyed it and found it surprisingly witty and suitably gory. Plus Ted Raimi is really great amongst the supporting cast and Grace Zabriskie absolutely perfect as the mystic seer who assists the player akin to Peter Stormare in Until Dawn.

Otherwise it’ll be more Sniper Elite 5 which I’ve nearly Platinumed but would love some assistance on the Axis Invasion so anyone interested feel free to add me at SAMTYLER1974 for that, multiplayer and survival.

I’ve also found myself back with AC Valhalla lately so a brief stint in that may be in the books.

And for the grey cells Im determined to get 100% on Monster’s Expedition and finish finding all those pesky snowmen and hidden islands.

Then if I get time it’ll be movie time with a huge pile of new titles to catch up with and revisit!

Either way here’s wishing everyone an enjoyable, restful weekend. Stay safe y’all x

Age of Empires: Castle Siege (Android) - The offline workaround is very sloppy on here, progress has crashed twice on me so far.

iStunt 2 (Windows Phone) - Still playing here and there.

The Great Wobo Escape (Windows Phone) - Still not sold on this, but I will see it to the end.

I'll be checking out the changes in the recent patch for Guilty Gear Strive, approaching 200 hours in the game and can't get enough.

Have a great weekend everyone!

@ErrantRob Lol I'm already missing it. It was such a joy to play I decided to drag it out by not fast travelling, searching every corner, completing 98% of caves, evergaols, catacombs but it still came to an end. ☹️

Horizon Forbidden West, advance the main story a little more. This game is huge, a lot bigger than ZD!! I will push more in Assassin's Creed Liberation, get the platinum next week I hope. I think I will continue Cyberpunk 2077 too. Let's see what the weekend brings!!

Assassin's Creed Origins. First time playing this on PlayStation (played it originally on Xbox). The fact that it's their 1st open world game shows at times, but I'm still enjoying it all over again, and the 60 FPS patch is great.

I just started Chapter 6 in Bug Fables. Plan on continuing that.
Also messing around on my Steam Deck. It's a pretty great little device.

Still chipping away at Demon’s Souls. I’ve just defeated the Archdemons in world’s 2, 3 and 4. So I just have to finish up in world 5 and 1. I don’t think I’m far off completing it now. Brilliant game.

Also Fortnite. Love the new season so far (riding on wolves is so much fun). But… XP rewards have been heavily nerfed this season and it’s taken the shine off an otherwise good season launch. I hope Epic Games are listening to the community and fix this asap.

PS5
Foul Play
Am clearing up my ps plus backlog and randomly tried this title. Man, if you like beat em ups, this game is incrediable. Its premise and setting is offputting but the combat is so addictive and tasty. What a gem, really happy to come across this one.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
One of my gaming shames is never having played this one. Finally giving it good go after some false starts. Doesnt feel dated, asides from stats and inventory, so many modern games have taken from this that its easy to pick up. Currently at the Doppleganger boss.

Quest 2 via PC
Wizards: Dark Times
Not a very deep campaign, pretty much linear combat scenarios with some climbing, plus the music and sound design is budget - but good lord is the spell casting fun! So much variety to mix up combos and cast types. Reminds me of that PS Move game Sorcery...but actually delvers on the motion control spell promise.

@BritneyfR_ee good luck on world 5, the levels themselves are quite challenging, but at least all of the bosses are pretty easy. Glad your enjoying, it was my first Soulsborne and it got me hooked on the games.

I started my new game plus of Horizon Forbidden West and I'm blown away. It really is amazing how different the experience is from my first playthrough.

Still playing Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, enjoying the cosmetics event, finally got all dice this week so loot luck is around 35k, lots of end game activities. Very close to deciding it’s my favorite Borderlands game ever, 165 hours in and still having a blast.

@Col_McCafferty I am at this point in Cyberpunk 2077, and it's already a month of side content. This game is HUGE in this part! So many details packed in the sidequests! I think I will do the final missions soon, as we can come back and play normally after and even see all the other endings. I will march to platinum in this game, it deserves it!!

Ghost of Tsushima DC - I finished act 1 and am now on Ike island for the first time. Also playing Ghostwire Tokyo and Persona 5 Royal. I went go-karting today (IRL) so that’s got me in the mood for some karting action in GT7!

Battlefield 2042 all weekend, baby! The new map rocks!!

I’m playing Sniper Elite 5 (Xbox Series X). I’m still having an absolute blast playing this game. I spend hours in each map scouring for collectibles and killing all enemies in stealth without being detected or forced into combat. Speaking of levels - the level designs provide so much freedom to complete objectives in any order you see fit; and exploring every nook and cranny will generally lead to optional missions, so it feels more organic than previous entries.

Ninja Gaiden Master Collection (Xbox Series X). I adore these games. In fact, I recall desperately wanting an OG Xbox because of the Ninja Gaiden reboot, and I was so thrilled as a kid when my parents surprised me with one. Despite a few camera issues, the trilogy holds up remarkably well, and it’s great to take a trip down nostalgia lane.

Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty ...(Yes, I'm dead serious)

When I'm not at work... hopefully fit in some gaming! If so, might get back to Elden Ring, or, if feeling in a more arcade or retro mood, some Slipstream (should try to unlock the extra tracks), EDF Iron Rain, or maybe some classic Dizzy games. Also finally realised what a great arcade racer Driveclub is, took a while!

Finally popped the platinum trophy for elden ring last night, truly one of the best open world games ever made! Down for something smaller next, trying to decide between chicory and trek to yomi. All of those plans might go out the window though as I've discovered vampire survivors, I've only done 3-4 runs but man that game is moreish!

My usual two games. King of Fighters 15 and WWE 2K22.

More Cyberpunk 2077. As Jackie Welles once said, "Can't stop digging Night City."

@Vix I've wanted to replay the PS3 installments for years now. They just never get old, love Ratchet & Clank

@dschons Never played them. Had to check them out after absolutely loving my time with Rift Apart. Quest for Booty is not the best experience, I'd say, mostly because it just feels like a rushed standalone DLC pack (which I guess it kind of was).

Not really going to have too much time to play anything this weekend but I'll try to sneak in a little Guardians of the Galaxy or Mafia if I can.

@Vix Finished my 2nd play through of it not so long back. Had some good ideas but still holds the more frustrating aspects of ToD.

Crack In Time is a better sequel and Nexus is better than that.

@Titntin
Thank you very much for your deep honest opinion of the game.

Literally just finished (109 hours play time) Cyberpunk 2077 on Ps5. It took CDPR way longer than it should have but they ended up making an epic game. Going to start Disco Elysium next after I have a rest and watch the UFC PPV👌

@ApostateMage have a preem time choom 🤙🏼

I'm back to the PS3 and starting the ratchet and clank trilogy. Haven't played them since they released so it's like playing them new again.

I don't know why I bought a ps5, nothing Sony has coming up interests me at all

Ratchet and clank rift apart. I disagree with the review on this site, I find the game pretty challenging on normal mode. Either that or I just suck... Haha.

@BReal Nova. Cheers choom.

I've started Salt and Sacrifice and I'm enjoying it. Also I'm dabbling in FIFA 22's career mode. Forgive me Konami, but you forced my hand.

Hades on Game Pass. I'm normally not into this genre, but damn this is good.

I've been playing a ton of Bloodborne lately and I'm getting really into it. Will also play some Nick All Star Brawl with my friends, that game is extremely fun.

@ThorsHammer oh man. Completed world 5 today. I think my soul level helped a lot (currently lvl 89). I died twice in 5-2 but that would have been awful to get through at a lower level. I saved this world for last because I heard it was difficult. Luckily the bosses were a breeze. I even managed to get the trophy for killing Maiden Astraea without defeating Garl Vinland. I just have 1-4 and 1-5 to do now 😁 don’t want it to end.

The quarry good game so far will definitely will through twice as there's alot of choice

Rocket League, always Rocket League. Thousands of hours deep

While I await the new PS+ so I can catch-up on games I missed out on like Returnal and Death Stranding

Then back to Rocket League

@BritneyfR_ee well done, yep last segments in world 1 will test you but just stack up on healing and at that level you'll do fine. The Penetrator boss is one of my favorites, once you key into his rhythem he's simple. And if you don't want it to end...do like i did, dive into Dark Souls afterwards, its demon souls' unoffcial sequel in many ways.

THE QUARRY and WATCHDOGS: LEGION.. FTW!!

Still playing through Far Cry 6 and all it's DLC. Just crushed all the Special Operations trophies with a buddy last night. Had a lot of fun doing those in co-op. Can't imagine how hard they'd have been solo!

@KidBoruto Forbidden West is AMAZING, never saw a more beautiful game!! It's huge, the sidequests ae so well written, it's so delicious to play!! And it's working very fine, bugs are extremelly rare. and it's chalenging, no cakewalk even in normal difficulty. For me it's 10/10!

ACIII Liberation was fine. they did a fine job with the constraints of a portable device. Already platined the game, it's shorter than the others, but fun. Now, to Black Flag, finally!!

@KidBoruto Yeah! Don't forget the DLCs, the Da Vinci ones link to the next games!!

Praying that they announce a return of AC 1 this year, with the 15 years celebration.

@KidBoruto The tank I beat fast, but the flying one... That I cursed to the heavens, took me almost 2 hours. The final part is a nightmare, that 2 horsemen. Go to hell 2 horsemen!!

@KidBoruto i don't know, it depends of the lebght of the improvements. But I would buy as soon as I could, to line up the story in my mind sooner.

And damn, Black Flag is good. So good...