Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 435

Playing Far Cry 6 limited edition that I got for 99p from the Amazon Prime sale. It was £9.99 but they had an offer that if you put £80 on your account they gave you £9 free. I wanted to try Prime for a year anyway.

This will take me a few months to complete so I certainly got a bargain. It's really good like all the other Far Cry games.

Started Guardians of the Galaxy this week, seems okay so far but very basic and the constant banter is grating on me. Hopefully it clicks and I start to see what everyone else is loving about it. Also got Deliver Us The Moon on the go which is good for a change of pace and some peace and quiet.

Got the platinum for God of War 4 last week and beat chains of olympus.
Replaying Infamous Second Son now while also playing a bit of Fortnite on my switch.
Gonna probably start God of War Ghost of Sparta and Forza Horizon 1 or 3 soon.

On playstation 5 I will be playing Martha is Dead, 2 hours in and it's been pretty good and definitely reccomend playing uncensored. I will also be starting Trails of cold steel 2, I hope this one is shorter than the first as I plan on completing the series before the end of next year on top of everything else that's coming out.

On switch Im going to complete xenoblade chronicles 2 this weekend ready for next game, currently on chapter 10 but still got so many quests to do it's getting tiresome. Once that's done I think il start Rune factory 5, was originally put off by the performance but so many have said it was a good game so il give it another go.

I've been playing Empire of Sin via Plus Extra. It feels like it's so close to being a good game but it's missing something I can't quite put my finger on. It's odd because I love turn based tactics, and I love the 20s mob theme.

I'll likely start Red Dead Redemption 2 next

Will be playing a lot of games on my newly purchased Series X, such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Cyberpunk 2077 and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge. Gonna be a lovely time!

PS5: Nioh 1 - just completed the final ‘main mission’ from the last region, “The Demon King Revealed”. Got a few more side-missions and busy-work to finish off, as I’m determined to pop the platinum! Some of the side-missions left seem ridiculous and mainly made up of double-boss fights…. Where’s a good mimic tear when you need one?!

Nintendo Switch: MHR Sunbreak - loving this expansion and taking my time with it. In the midst of MR3 quests and have just upgraded from HR gear into some new MR Armor and weaponry. Tons of new QoL features and mechanics to wrap my head around, and definitely feeling the challenge - especially when solo’-ing monsters. Well up for multi-player if anyone is looking to team up 👍

I played 3DS games in the morning. 😃
1. Yokai Watch 3 Tempura
2. Cooking Mama Sweet Shop

In the afternoon I continued my progress of Youtubers Life 2 PS4. 🙂

And I have reached Top 68 Youtubers and got 4800+ subscribers.
Still need more subscribers to reach the target 10,000 subscribers to continue the storyline.

I'm playing Ghost of Tsushima on PS4.

... I'll be honest I'm not quite feeling it.

Thing is my only real hang up is the combat. Everything else is pretty much spot on.

I personally don't think the combat works very well with anything but a single opponent (and the game pits at LEAST 3 enemies against you at a time) and the lock on system is incredibly pants.

@get2sammyb I haven't played any FIFA for a few months, it's an absolutely awful time sink, isn't it 😅 Pro Clubs doesn't really benefit from the nice new gameplay and physics editions like offline modes anyway, so I'm not missing it.

Speaking of time sinks though, I'll probably be nosediving and rolling around The Crew 2's massive map, and trying to work out if there's any real progression or reward for completing races, to distract myself from the potentially insane heat.

So if anyone is playing that and sees a stunt plane turn on the smoke and (mostly) successfully pull off some insane freestyle moves over you while you try to race, then Hi 😁

Or just reading, that doesn't create any of its own heat which is a plus 🫠

I'm so lucky to have a long weekend this week.it's been unbearable working for 5 or 6 hours outside.Looking forward to staying inside in the cool continuing my adventure on Ys IX Monstrum Nox which I'm loving so far.
Also downloaded Last Stop which is an interesting little story.
No doubt Spiritfarer will get played at some point too as it's a great relaxing adventure.
Oh and I have two more trophies to obtain in Spiderman Miles Morales so I guess I'll have to put more on time on that one too.

I was going to say Returnal but I actually finished it last night. I wasn’t prepared for the last boss but my run was hours long so I was pretty OP at that point. Ironically, the first boss and the music one was the hardest for me.

Did Housemarque cave to all the complaints and made the game easier? It sure wasn’t as hard as I imagined. Great fun nonetheless!

Now I’m moving on to some backlog games, namely First Light and Batman: Arkham Knight.

Mostly playing the new events in Genshin Impact. Pulled Kazuha on the banner so I'll be testing him out. Probably put a few hours into CP2077 on XSX tomorrow. Have a good weekend all!

@HallowMoonshadow a few things that clicked for me: be patient and parry everything you can, it's a defensive style of fighting, use their momentum against them. And if you hold dodge button before hitting a direction you can wait in a coiled stance before dodging at the very last second for a nice counter.

Also once you get used to stance switching and which attacks to use at what time, and never get too greedy on offense it feels really good. That's my experience of it any way.

Also the charm that increases the perfect parry timing window is a nice little addition.

And there is not really a lock on system, it takes a while to get used to that coming from other games, but that weird description in the intro of selecting targets kind of goes out of the window, just target the one you have parried or dodged, in my opinion, or single out an opponent with your positioning. It's definitely not a Batman, Spiderman style of combat where you can switch freely and dominate on offense.

Hope you find that it gets more enjoyable soon though, the game gets real good the more side and story quests progress 👺

I'll be carrying on with GoT when I get the time.

Hope to get it finished before Stray hits Extra, cause when Stray hits Extra, everything is getting dropped.

Capcom Fighting Collection, I was out of town for awhile and I want to get back into it. Maybe throw in WWE 2K22 as well.

Sunbreak and Rune Factory 5 (PC)

Nioh 2 with all the dlcs.amazing gameplay.graphics is good.a cool story.the graphics looks really good on my ps4 pro.assasins creed origins with all the dlcs.another amazing game.graphics looks amazing as well on my ps4 pro.story is good.and the gameplay is good as well.valkyria chronicles remastered.a well made tactical rpg.the story is wonderful.and gameplay is really good also.and the graphics is cool. I like the comic book artstyle and the way it plays.ys 8 lacrimosa of dana.extremely fun rpg.gameplay is really is amazing.the graphics is cool.the story is really good.watching legendary sitcoms 📺 tv comedy shows. The Jeffersons.in living color.good times.sanford and sons.saved by the bell.and martin.word up son

I’m playing the weirdness of red faction 2

Don't know yet what I will be playing but I want to recommend a game from the Extra tier I've played during the week: 11-11 Memories Retold. A story driven adventure set in WW1. Very unique art style and a great story. I absolutely loved it.

On Ps5 I'm trying to get the last trophy for Doki Doki literature club plus. When I'm done with that I'll play a jrpg, doubting between nights of azure and ys 9.

In my Xbox im playing ac Origins. My 2nd try on playing, the first time I couldnt get into it. Let's hope the 60 fps patch works for me

I'm still plodding through horizon forbidden west, still enjoying it

"I am not your son. I am the Ghost."

Slicing up Mongols in Tsushima.

2nd runs of Mafia Remake & AC Odyssey, Mafia 3, probably 3rd run from 2016. The legendary RDR2 keeps calling me to continue my 4th run but I keep telling it it wouldn't be fair to the other whole heap games I haven't even done 2nd runs for. Some GT Sport probably plus anything else. Time's changing, you just can't play a single game anymore unless it's new, you gotta juggle a couple at the same time, too many games out there.

Replaying the classic Final Fantasy 8 while I’m traveling this weekend! Happy gaming everyone!

Lots!

Judgement for weird Japanese goodness, Returnal for sci-fi blasting fun and Gran Turismo 7 when I feel.the need, the need for......nah, not going to finish that.

😉

I may or may not start something else, maybe join the Club and finally give GotG a go or maybe Little Hope. With the temperature continuing to rise, maybe I need something that will send chills down my spine. Keep me cool.

😝

Enjoy whatever you decide to play or do and don't get sunburn!

☀️

I'll be playing Samurai Pizza Cats on the NES (I got it on an English translated repro cart). Great simple fun. 👍 And on PS4, some Morphite. Love how relaxing that game is.

@Dr_Derp Love that theme tune!!

I will be continuing Blood Dragon, pretty funny and much better now I have a few gun upgrades. Probably a bit of GT7 too.

Happy gaming folks.

Disco Elysium - utterly bonkers and I love it for that.

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge.

Been playing some of the Nintendo Switch Online retro games, Mega Man: The Wily Wars and Zero Wing were recently added to the Mega Drive collection and with the N64 emulation improved, I decided to sub on the Switch Lite. Also still playing Sonic Origins, Final Vendetta (which has a new patch addressing some of the initial difficulty complaints), and Tutles Re-Shelled.

AI The Somnium Files on PS5 on Switch I'm nearing the end of XC Future Connected want to finish both before XC3.

Continuing my replay of Uncharted 4. When I played it on PS4 back in 2016, I was somewhat disappointed. Not that it's the reason, but now replaying it via the PS5 version it couldn't be going any better.

More Utawarerumono, and I love it. The SRPG gameplay is just so addictive even if it's a little simpler than something like ff tactics or fire emblem. The music works so well, it's an underrated soundtrack. And I'm loving the characters so far. I heard this was the weakest title in the series so I'm excited to play the rest if I already love the 1st game

Also wow 3D Dot Game Heroes, now there's a game that deserves more love and a port lol

Ff7 again for me. Nearly got aeris's final limit break trophy. Im ready for stray on tuesday aswell.

Assassins creed origins before the others drop on extra..must say thanks to everybody who reccomended black flag to me as thats next on the list...also there is just a rather small event called the open championship from st andrews..

I have been playing through some games on the Extras tier of PlayStation Plus, enjoying the service quite a bit and even just now I have gotten more than my money's worth out of it.

Yakuza 4 very good so far but miss the toy car racing lol

Singularity PS3👌

For me, I’m playing Monster Hunter Rise / Sunbreak. I remember playing it last year and loving it, but I stopped after defeating Magnamalo, and subsequently deleted my save accidentally. What a mistake I made. I’m back at the game, taking my time with it because there’s no rush to get into Sunbreak, and enjoying every minute. I was unaware that the game doesn’t actually begin until after beating Magnamalo.

I’m still kind of confused on the weapon and amulet crafting systems. It’s overwhelming; and I’m not sure if you can upgrade your amulets, or if you have to continually craft more once you obtain better monster parts, and whether or not certain monster parts are better to use than others.

Regardless, I’m slowly figuring things out and I think that’s the beauty of a game like this. Once it clicks, man - there is no other game like it on the market. I’ve never been one of those people who can put hundreds of hours into a game, single player or multiplayer, but now I can see how it’s possible with Monster Hunter and I think I’m ready.

Edit: I did not realize that you are able to unlock Sunbreak via Gathering Hub quests. I’ve been doing nothing but Village quests, so this may take longer than expected. I’m hoping multiplayer isn’t a requirement considering I primarily play solo.

I’m also playing Bayonetta on the Switch in handheld mode. It’s my first time with the series, and it has always intrigued me since its original release but I never played it because I was busy with life. So far, it’s really great. Platinum Games know how to make games with incredible combat. Also, the story and characters are absolutely bonkers. I’m excited to play more to get myself ready for Bayonetta 3.

Finishing GotG and getting stuck into the summer Genshin event

As it's hot outside, I'm going to stay indoors and play lots of Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak and Persona 4 Golden.

Returnal, ps5
Cyberpunk, xbsx
Dragon quest builders 2, switch
And the park with the doggo, if not too hot

Unfortunately my gaming room gets the bulk of the sunshine and can get unbearable during hot weather so my gaming won’t be as extensive as usual but as and when I can grab a breath of fresh air I’ll be continuing The Witcher 3 again. Finally caved in and started a 5th run through and thanking old age as I’ve forgotten a surprising amount of the side content plus how to play Gwent properly. I’m currently 110 hours in and have just returned Uma to Kaer Morhaaen, collected all base Gwent cards, crafted and upgraded a few sets of armour and completed the majority of contracts.

But, as fans of the game will know, that still leaves a chortload of content plus the two expansions so I’m expecting at least 200 hours if not more come the end of my journey.

As for how it’s aged I had my initial doubts and it’s not perfect (Roach’s AI is especially random and the climbing can be infuriatingly inaccurate and frustrating) but as of today I can safely say it’s still my favourite game of all time and this playthrough my best gaming experience of 2022 thus far …

“Stop the plumbing, there’s somebody coming!”

1. MLB The Show (PS5)
2.. Final Fantasy XIV ShadowBringers (PC)
3. F1 (PC / Steam Deck)
4. Company of Heroes 3 Mission Alpha (PC)

Finished Cuphead and the DLC last night (I never beat the base game on PC years ago) and I started Death's Door. It's pretty neat-o.

For some reason I chose to do the rng of GoW to get anchor fogs. It’s less frustrating this time around because I haven’t just played thirty hours of GoW prior. Between runs I’ll be knocking out Nobody Saves the World, playing Neon White on Switch, and being a filthy mobile gamer with Punishing Gray Raven as I need 2B, A2, and 9S in the crossover event.

Tetris Effect, which I'm still seeing when I shut my eyes. The Salt and Sacrifice playthrough rumbles on in the background.

Returnal, to my surprise. Never would have bought it, but thanks to PS Plus Extra I now know it's a masterpiece.
Also a bit of CP2077 on the side.

I am switching back and forth between Ghost of Tsushima and Guardians of the Galaxy. 😎

Finally took the plunge on Assassin’s Creed Origins. It has a truly beautiful setting and well realized world. Happy gaming!

@SAMTYLER1974 I'm so tempted by another play through (would be my 3rd) but am trying to hold off until the PS5 patch. Such a great game.

@EverydayRobot I found the banter to be the thing that turned me off completely from that game. It ok otherwise, but not good enough to put up with the grating dialogue.

Dying Light 2 mostly until Stray comes out

I tried Reternal this week. I gave it a few hours but that game is definitely not for me. So I decided to jump into Astro’s Playroom. I started it up once when I first got my PS5 and moved on to other things. But this time it was exactly what I was looking for and I found everything and finished it in two sittings. It’s now my favorite thing I’ve played on the PS5. It’s pure joy in video game form. Have a great weekend!

Considering I’ve played every single game I have any interest in (except for a very few I’m waiting for a sale on), I’ve decided to go back and play through the Resistance series on my PS3. Currently I’m on Resistance 2 and digging every minute of it!

Finish up Resi r3make. It's good, not as good as 2, and don't like the missing content, but it's good and about as fun as I remember. I miss my dismemberment though

Okay, so apart from The Crew 2 being crazy fun in short bursts. Seriously recommend it on the PS Extra Game Catalogue, for when you don't want to have to think too hard in the heat.

I am absolutely craving some Kingdom Come: Deliverance right now because I watched The King on Netflix last night and they name checked Wenceslas (making my internal monologue drift seamlessly into the intro of KCD) and then as soon as they showed Knightly combat with little war hammers, I just wanted to go and bonk people on their silly heads all wrapped up in pointless shiny armour with a nice pointy hammer ⚔️🔨🔨🔨 why train for hours with a sword that will only get blunt in battles when you can simply master the art of total bonk warfare 😁

I'm in the verge of doing the final story mission in Horizon Forbidden West, so I will. Going to continue playing that masterpiece called Ghost of Tsushima DC, and Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, another iconic game. This weekend is packed with action and adventure!!

Mahjong by Microsoft (Android) - Working on dailies for the July medals.

Elements: Epic Heroes (Windows Phone) - Kinda stalled on this tbh...

Make It Rain: The Love of Money (Windows Phone) - Playing in bursts still.

@dschons. Wow. Thanks so much for the recommendation. Somehow missed this on its initial release. Game is developed by Aardman (the team behind Wallace & Gromit) and has a truly unique visual style like an impressionistic oil painting crossed with the rotoscoping technique used in the Linklater film Waking Life. This is a true gem and I never would have known about it without your comment.

@Stevemalkpus glad I could help! Enjoy!

@F1at8mot0
Astro's Playroom is the best PS5 game, period. I remember being floored by the fantastic Dualsense implementation and Playstation legacy games references. Actually, next to The Last of Us: Part 3, the sequel to Astro's Playroom is my most anticipated Playstation game.

Currently enjoying Crash 4.

Trying to 100% AC Syndicate (second time playing it) before moving on to Origins and finally Odyssey.

Everybody's Golf 2 (PSP) on the Vita - stuff paying Sony for retro classics!

Neon white is the game I’m playing the weekend, wow what a game the gameplay is amazing but the story/ dialogue is horrible like really horrible but luckily there is a fast forward option, if you have a pc or switch get this game

Dark Cloud, Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds, TREK To Yomi, Shredders Revenge. Damn PS+ Premium and Gamepass crushing my nostalgia lol

Ghostwire tokyo at the moment, enjoying it,a bit grindy but strangely relaxing 😄

@HallowMoonshadow
Can I ask if this is anything like Sekiro (combat wise)?
I’ve started playing sekiro a couple of weeks back and love the combat hence my question.

I just started the fan "Steam to Vita" port of Doki Doki Literature Club. Sadly no trophies, but it's nice to relax with (so far) when it's too warm for me to comfortably use a game console or my PC.

FIFA22, one day I'll stop playing it, not today though

Sorry but I've unfortunately never played Sekiro so I have no clue how they compare combat wise @Hurblyburbly.

There is a lock-on system @Ravix. You can toggle it on in the options (I believe it was added when the director's cut came out).

Thanks for advice but I've been playing for 15 hours already over the past week and a half or so.

I think it's better if I just drop it.

... I'll probably return in the future at some point (who knows when though) to give it a second chance 😄

Wild Arms! Loving this old school rpg.

@HallowMoonshadow okay fair enough. I guess I played without the lock on and after a bit of learning it seemed to work nicely as a defence and counter strike game. Stance switch was a little fiddly at the start though.

I hope you do go back to it (or power through with different settings) because it gets so powerfully good story wise.

And I know myself I sometimes stop playing a game, even one I like, and sometimes then find it hard to make myself go back and finish.

3D Dot Game Heroes was one of my faves on the PS3. So much so, I still own the original disc I purchased about 10 years ago.

Continuing my first playthrough of Ghost of Tsushima DC on the PS5.
Having a bit of fun with it, but after 30 hours I still don't see why the extremely high praise.
It's just a normal open world action-adventure with RPG elements. It has less repetitive stuff in some areas, compared to Assassin's Creed.
But it has it's own issues with this subject, especially in the Combat dept., especially if you're trying not to go the Ghost path assassinating everyone in sight.
"Stand off"s suffer the most here, they all happen in the same way every time. Fox and Golden bird mechanics are not that far off either.
It has some good ides and a few bad ones... overall it's a good mix. But I just don't see why almost everyone considers it up there with the best games ever made.
Guess I'm (fairly) alone in that assessment, but that's how I see it.
I will stick with it 'till the end... however I doubt I'll replay it in the future.

Nothing. I work two 12 hour days.

@KidBoruto I will watch the Resi series soon. Started the spanish production "Boundless" on Amazon Prime, very good show!!

We had a hollyday here yesterday, so I could hit the mark, played the 3 games I se t for. I finished Horizon FW mains quest (shed some tears, it's beautiful), and advanced a lot in Black Flag and Tsushima.

Trully, a wonderful era to be a gamer.

@KidBoruto Yes, I will!!

@KidBoruto If my hands weren't so full, I would play it right away!!