Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 511

Horizon Forbidden West: I've got the POSEIDON, AETHER, and MINERVA subfunctions in the main story which, while not as good as its predecessor, is still full of twists and turns. The rebreather, firegleam, and pullcaster are all fun tools (the last making you feel a bit like Batman from the Arkham series).

The visuals are gorgeous and a definite upgrade. Some of the side quests are also more engaging and less rote. The map is a lot bigger, and I'm still a little less than halfway through the game overall. I keep running into melee pits, vista points, salvage collections, gauntlet runs, and all manner of distraction from the main story.

In other words, it's a cracking good time.

189 hours into Baldur's Gate 3. I've just fought a devil in his own hell whilst he sung his own battle theme music. Absolutely brilliant!

Final Fantasy XVI the journey continues. Im really enjoying it and I really like the story. The game is a bit unevenly paced though, the epic parts followed by slow parts with pretty uninteresting quests maybe could have been done better. And the sidequests are not the highlights of the game…. It really looks great this game, both artistically and technically very impressive. Great game all in all, cant wait to play more and find out where the story goes.

Hot Wheels 2 needed a game in between when not able to play for very long and Hot Wheels 2 fits in perfect. Is basically more of the same, so if you liked the first game you’ll like this one but dont expect much more than that.

I’ve put Prince of Persia on the to-play list, liked the demo thats out. Also might pick up Vertigo 2 for VR as a game in between sessions of FF 16

Same again this weekend: Starfield, Street Fighter 6 and Mario Wonder. I may also try to get some time on the steam deck with Drainus or Vampire Survivors.

Resi 4 VR. About to finish my second run, get the infinite rocket launcher, then go after the cat ears. Don’t usually like speedruns, but this game is so good.

Outside of that I’ll be doing something a little less stressful by continuing my FFX playthrough and going for the A Fisherman’s Tale plat.

Saying that, I will be out most of today, so we’ll see how much of that is feasible.

I’m still enjoying Final Fantasy 15 this weekend in between being a Dad taxi for the wife and kids.

Very much towards the end of my slow (savoring) play through of Alan Wake 2. Such a great game

Final Fantasy 7 remake and resident evil village VR on the 5 and nothing on the other systems

Not sure, bit more Red Dead II I guess, and maybe Dark Souls 3 if I can squeeze it in

Still GT7, after 120 hours. I was going to clean my PS Plus backlog since last December before it expires this Summer, but GT7 just has me hooked. Hard to believe I initially sold the game after release because of a lack of single player content. It’s just fantastic in its current state.

Wo long fallen dynasty for me. I'm not really surprised as to how good this game is and how much fun it is but I am surprised it took me this long to grab it. Also a spot of diablo 4 later this evening as all the talk of season 3's impending release scratched that scab off and I just can't help myself...Have a brilliant weekend people 👍

This weekend marks the start of Games Done Quick, so I shall be doing that all of next week. During downtime and during any runs that don't do it for me, I shall be playing Team Sonic Racing.

Just started Jedi:Survivor, enjoying it so far 👍.
Have a great weekend of gaming everyone!

Will be playing Resident Evil: Revelations on PS5 and Paper Mario (64) on Switch. It's gonna be a fun weekend!

On Ps5 Remnant 2 and Borderlands 3. On game pass Jusant, Cocoon and Hi Fi Rush

Lies of P and Cyberpunk 2077 (2nd run) on PS5.
Ace Attorney and Ori will of the wisp on switch.

I can’t stop won’t stop playing Inscryption. Even though I’ve already beaten the main game I keep playing. I love it so much. I think this will keep me going until TLOU2 is out next Friday

After years of not playing, I reinstalled Persona 5, forgot how funny Morgana was/is 😆. Atlus though, are horrible with their money grabbing tactics. Plus it's still more legendary Monster Hunter World Iceborne for me this weekend.

Trails of Cold Steel 3 and AC Bloodlines on the PS Vita, which I so far surprisingly find pretty good. Will also try out the Granblue demo.

After recently completing Persona 5 Tactica and Star Ocean Second Story R I'm trying not to start any long games as I have Granblue Fantasy Relink and Another Code R Recollection Pre ordered and want to focus on them when they release.

So with that in mind I think on Playstation I will be playing Sable and on the Switch I will be continuing with Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes and Disney Illusion Island

Picked up Chants of Sennaar after seeing it on the top 5 puzzle games list on PushSquare. Really enjoying decrypting the languages and unravelling the story

Finished up getting 100% achievements in ‘The Last Faith’ so will be jumping back to BG3 after a brief hiatus (mid-Act 2, temporarily put it down to avoid burnout).

On the side I’ll also be doing a few levels of ‘Humanity’ which is a great Lemmings-esque puzzler - really good!

I also picked up Marvel Midnight Suns in the Steam sale, so might give that a whirl

Replaying FF7R’s chapters 15 through 18 on Hard Mode to refresh me on the story before FF7 Rebirth comes out. I’ll have no time once LAD: Infinite Wealth & Persona 3 Reload launch, so it’s best to fit it in now. Us JRPG fans are spoiled rotten in 2024 😎😎

I will hopefully be finishing up my nightmare run of Lacrimosa of Dana this weekend. I’ve been itching to head back into Persona 5 but Like a Dragon is just around the corner.

After finishing the excellent Robocop (ok I say I finished but failed to kill the impossible main boss even on easy!) I started Avatar which I'm really enjoying.Also started Nobody Saves The World free on Plus which is a lot of fun!

I just got the platinum for Wild Hearts so for now I'll either pop into more Alan Wake 2 or just play random stuff. Prince of Persia unlocks for deluxe people on Sunday night I think so killing time until then.

Having wrapped up my first playthrough of Ghost of Tsushima (What. A. Game.), I am currently being mesmerised by Tunic. So far loving every second of it. The sense of discovery is fantastic and the atmosphere, visuals and music are all really hitting the spot. Only downside is the loading (I'm playing on PS4) which seems ridiculously slow after how fast GoT is, lol.

More GT7 daily races and some Walkabout mini golf.

Have a good one

Throughout the week I finished my “Insanity” playthrough in Mass Effect (Legendary Edition) and got the platinum trophy. There were a few difficult moments but I managed to scrape by with my Adept Shepard. This trilogy is peak science fiction. What I like most all, particularly with the first game, is that it’s a compact 25-30 hour RPG experience. I more than likely won’t start Mass Effect 2 for a while due to other games releasing soon, and risking burnout, but I will absolutely platinum the entire trilogy. And to keep me absorbed in this world, I’m reading Drew Karpyshyn’s Mass Effect: Revelation and it’s excellent.

On a side tangent — most of my playtime was on the PlayStation Portal. This machine has been an absolute game changer for me. It has given me the desire to play certain games that I prefer to play handheld such as old school PS1 games, particularly JRPGs (Wild Arms), or even PS2 gems like the GTA trilogy. I may go as far to suggest the upcoming Persona 3 Reload is ostensibly better in this format. For me, these types of games are better suited in a smaller screen. Maybe that’s my nostalgia kicking in since I used to play these games up close with a small boxed television.

I’m also starting up Dead Space Remake. The original is a classic, and it’s been nearly fifteen years since I played it, so it should feel like a fresh new captivating experience. What I remember vividly is how the USG Ishimura felt like a living character rather than a story setting. There aren’t too many games that feature a location that feels just as intertwined with the main protagonist as it does as its own separate entity. I’m really looking forward to this journey again.

Im playing the amazing octopath traveler 2.oswald story is excellent.oswald is easily the best protagonist in octopath traveler 2.i beat the boss grieving gollum.now im leving up more until i fight harvey.the magic.the story.the gameplay.the boss fights.the graphics.the voice acting.is awesome.im also playing the wonderful days gone.just fought the rager bear boss fight.it was a extremely fun.the graphics.the story.the gameplay is extremely fun.deacon st john is a incredible protagonist.i just finished the granblue fantasy relink demo.and it was excellent.the story from the demo is cool.gran is a awesome protagonist.the graphics is excellent.the gameplay is like tales of arise and thats a good thing.i beat the greatshield madbeat boss fight.that boss fight is amazing.its nfl playoffs 🏈 time.so i will be watching my Pittsburgh Steelers 💛🖤 play.i also will be watching my boston Celtics 💚🖤 play.and i will be watching legendary sitcoms tv 📺 comedy in Sanford and son.good times.and saved by the bell.word life.word is born.word to god.word to your mother.word up son

I've spent the last few weeks playing through the Yakuza/Like A Dragon games I hadn't played leading up to Infinite Wealth. I finished 6 last night, which was fantastic, one of the best in the series.
Next up is The Man Who Erased His Name, which currently on sale, so that timed out perfectly! Very keen to start it this weekend

I completed Final Fantasy XVI on Ps5 last week and I’m currently replaying Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age on my Switch.

Also trying to reach level 200 in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 on Ps5/Switch/Xbox before Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth release.

Beyond that gonna play some Powerwash Simulator on XSX

Started on Concrete Genie this week, really fun and beautiful game I got with PS Plus some years ago, but somehow never got around to earlier

@ApostateMage 'True souls, who couldn't be bought!!' brilliant section and brilliant song. Is Act 3 the strongest act? I kinda think so.

Finishing up the Last Faith I hope and then continuing Lords of the Fallen and BG3. I’m a broken record the last several weeks but two young kids will do that to you!

@Shepherd_Tallon I found nioh 2 to be a bit too difficult but wo long is so much better. Its a similar game but everything is just better and more thought out especially the combat. I'm glad I finally gave it a go and I highly recommend it.

Still chugging away at Nobody Saves the World. In NG+ atm, devilishly hard dungeons random bonuses. Also trying to get through the interesting, but run of the mill, Evil West.

I'm in the mood for a sidescroller/metroidvania so I'm digging deep into my catalogue with Dust: An Elysian Tail and a bit of Muramasa Rebirth on good old VitaTV/PSTV. Have a good weekend all!

@Shepherd_Tallon I will add for Wo Long that I loved it. The first boss is a skill check. After that I don’t think I hit a wall the rest of the game. Got the platinum I loved it so much. And I didn’t do that with either Nioh or the Dark Souls series.

@GuttyYZ I kept hearing about how act 3 was the weakest part of the game but I'm having a blast. There's tonnes of new quests to find and many to wrap up.

We have sub-zero temperatures where I’m at so it’s a coffee + video game weekend. I have two trophies left in Dead Space so I’m back to finish Impossible mode. I might play a little Sonic Adventure 2 over on the Series X to break up the craziness. Happy weekend!

Could be any 1 of these. Pga tour (EA).. Baldurs gate 3.. Lords of the fallen (2023)..Uf5.. Robocop rogue city or The Finals

Star wars jedi survivor, although I spent an hour last night just trying to get past two slidey up and down platforms, then two run along two side platforms, a drop down and thrust forward to a platform...put it on the lowest difficulty setting after getting frustrated, another half hour of failure, that type of guff makes me want to walk away, the damn android can save himself. Unfortunately you can't just ignore this section because it's the only route to exit. So, there you go, this is when gaming stops being fun. I put the Dune movie on instead.

@Shepherd_Tallon I'll agree the first boss is a bit of a nuisance but I've not had too much hassle after that. We'll worth a play.

Having (sadly) put Octopath Traveler 2, Stsr Ocean 2 Remake and GowR: Valhalla on the back burner I gave the Prince of Persia demo and Granblue Fantasy Relink demo a go.

PoP wasnt pretty good but staled as I progressed.
GranBlue Fantasy Relink's camera and HUD took getting used to but implied it alot and the online worked really well so I preordered it.

Keep on gaming folks!

Final Fantasy VII Remake and Sonic Super Stars

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) - Left off at chapter 8, need to pick it back up.

Real Soccer 2013 (Windows Phone) - Finally getting used to touch controls for this.

Angry Birds Rio (Windows Phone) - Still three starring levels.

Just got Baldur's Gate recently after not being sure if I'd dig it, and wow, SO MUCH FUN! I can see myself still playing it years later like Skyrim, Mass Effect, or any Zelda.

Have a lovely weekend ppl 🤘

Have started a new play through of Horizon Forbidden West, partly thanks to Avatar Frontiers of Pandora! Let me explain…I had been playing Avatar but tbh - as beautiful as the world is - the game itself is just a bit boring, and it had me yearning to play HFW, which I never quite finished first time round. So to re-acquaint myself with the HFW controls I decided to start again from scratch. Hopefully I’ll finish the game this time, and play the Burning Shores expansion too. Oh, and Avatar FoP has been indefinitely shelved 😂

Just beat a Level 31 Quagmire Troll with my level 22 Witch on Hogwarts Legacy I've been seeking combat and I've finally found it 😁😁😁 the fight helped me work out various ways of countering stuff, and protego into magic throw seems nice.

A lot of the early game is tutorial, and I got so overlevelled with barely any combat experience, and everything scales up anyway making levels a bit pointless. So I'm cracking on with some exploration (within the broom test side quest range, anyway), while putting off beasts class, which is a level 12 quest, for a little while longer

Protegooo, Stupify, Expelliarmuuuuuus, Confringooooo!

PS4:
ESO
AC2
Klonoa

PS5:
God of war Ragnarok
MGS2
Cult of the lamb
Sonic Superstars

BG3. Just BG3.

I said last week I was gonna mix in some Teardown but I didn't, I just played BG3.

@Wazeddie22 You are playing some great games-Nobody saves the world is an awesome dungeon crawler!

Minor, non-specific spoilers for the last boss in Robocop follow:

The last boss in RoboCop is all about keeping your distance and doing damage. If the boss gets in close, you take a lot of damage. If you have the shockwave ability (combat) or slow motion (focus), those are really good ways to keep the boss off you as you unload and circle away.

I don’t mean to give unsolicited advice-I just enjoyed the ending and want you to see it! Of course, YouTube is fine too. 😃 Have a good weekend!

Splatfest weekend in Splatoon 3 this weekend but I may also slip in some Cyberpunk 2077 once in a while, to spice things up.

PSVR 2
7th Guest VR
Am loving this one, thick lovely atmosphere, challenging but fun puzzles and intriguing old school plot. Great stuff.

Pixel Ripped 1978
Not really digging it, which is weird, I loved the former ones but things just didnt click. I'm not nostalgic about the era like the former ones, the games within the game are meh, and first person stuff is average. Was hyped for it but am struggling to push forward with it, even if im halfway.

Switch
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Awesome stuff, am a massive fan of the original trilogy and this is a pitch perfect continuation. Challenging levels, inventive design and the best boss fights of the series.

PS5
Fist of the Northstar: Lost Paradise
Good cheesy old school anime with gory combat. It's fairly shallow with silly filler but does what you would want a FotNS game to do to a tee.

Just completed and platinumed Alan Wake 2, what an absolute joy it is playing in this world they have created. Ahti is just the best. Bring on the news about what code name Firebreak entails because I’m up for a PVE game set in the FBC building

Got two tasks to do in Arkham Asylums predator games and I’ve got two platinums done and two games uninstalled from my very full PS5 hardrive.

The Finals, I reinstalled this game once they did an update and I started to enjoy it again for a few weeks. I’m starting to get a bit fed up of how frustrating it is dealing with the light build players. Some seem to be more bullet sponges than others and of course when I’m playing light you’re dead in seconds. Then they have all kinds of skills available to them compared to the other builds and it just feels like they need to be nerfed. It’s frustrating

Got like three weeks to find something to play before Helldivers 2 releases

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade.

Bought the twin pack for Rebirth as I'd not played the Yuffie DLC but I decided to have a fresh playthrough of the base game. Into chapter 8 still amazing.

Immortals Of Aveum.

Not started just installing, picked it up earlier for £5 at the supermarket. Couldn't say no at that price!

I had an amazing time as manly V romancing Panam. My main V was my first female character who romanced Judy, and boy those woman are different! Like two different species. I like Judy the most, but my male Alt-V can't deny her raw beauty.

So I am chartering every last bit of the ocean that is Cyberpunk. I will try and do absolutely everything including glitching in to get the DAMN egg. After this, I will sunset this near-GOAT of a game and go for Gate 3. And VR this weekend maybe too .. too little time too much work to be done.

Switch: TotK
PS5: AW2
Series X: BG3

Hoping some Lies of P can help take the sting out from freezing my (insert body part here) off.

Doing my new game + run or Nobody Saves the World for the platinum, strongly recommend.

About to start LAD Gaiden.

I've got niece and nephew over for a sleep over so probably some mario kart 8 while I try and convince my daughter not to kerb stomp them!! I played a little of the ff16 demo earlier but that will be it this weekend, have a good one folks

About to platinum Robocop which has been a blast. Love what Nacon is doing with these 80s/90s action IPs, Terminator was really fun also. After that is completed maybe hop into FF7R and maybe complete it in time for Rebirth.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

I'm going to have a retro weekend for the 3 day weekend. I've been playing Diablo 1, Series Sam 1st encounter, and Quake 2. Might dive into a jrpg if I finish a couple of those. Something like Final Fantasy 9 or Vagrant story.

Currently in my second playthrough of EVIL WEST on NG+ on the hardest difficulty setting. Hasn’t been too terribly bad through the first 9 chapters but I know there are some REALLY difficult fights coming up.
Also working on getting 100% for the DLC for COD: GHOSTS on PS3. It’s one of two games in the series I have left to 100% them all (except for BO4 which I absolutely refuse to play for multiple reasons).

Still playing through Sea of Stars and loving it. Also, some Mario Golf on the Switch with my family. I also squeezed in the phenomenal Prince of Persia The Lost Crown demo, it’s Ori good when it comes to platforming, which is the pinnacle of platforming, in my opinion.

Giving a go to the new (and free) Portal Revolutions mod for Portal 2. Already in the second chapter, it's been fun so far.
With a bit of Path Of Exile on the side, just playing through the storyline, won't farm or go into end game content (too time consuming).
Maybe, if there's time, gonna continue the NG+ in God Of War Ragnarok... just started the side area in Vanaheim, The Crater, a few days ago.
Have a fun weekend everyone!

@Westernwolf4 Oh believe me I love that game so much I really want to see the ending!
I have the slow motion park but not the other one..plus I levelled up my gun to a powerful level but I still couldn't beat it even after two dozen tries! Cheers for the advice,I'll try again soon after my rage meter has had time to cool down!lol

@thefourfoldroot1 I've got to get back to RE4 vr, got to the castle then got hooked on Song in the Smoke, now knocking out 7th Guest. Think probably just delaying finishing since it's so damn good.

PS5: still plowing through the OCD hell that is Power Wash Simulator.

XSX: stuck on the big robot early boss in Divinity: Original Sin. Guess I need to grind a bit and level up as the remote control thingy doesn't seem to be working for me.

Switch: picked up where I left up a few weeks ago in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I haven't played the earlier games and the combat system is doing my head in.

Also knocked off Doki Doki Literature Club on Steam during the week.

@Nightcrawler71 like you, I never originally completed Forbidden West after starting, but in the last month I’ve managed to complete the main story and will probably be finishing up the DLC soon. The game takes some time to get going but it’s fantastic once it does and definitely is a huge improvement over the first game. After the DLC I’m going for that shiny platinum trophy! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Might dive into Peaky Blinders VR again for a couple chapters. Picked it up last night and being a fan of the show I’m really glad I did. It’s not the prettiest VR game but it captures what makes that show so gritty and captivating. Other than that, I’ll mainly be swapping between finishing up the Burning Shores DLC and getting more into Ghostwire: Tokyo.

Finally decided to buy Monster Energy Supercross 6 while it's still on sale. Glad I did, definitely a worthwhile improvement over MES5 and probably the best game in the series since 3.

Evil Within 1 (heard it’s better than 2) and messed around and lowered the difficulty to casual & hate to admit it but , i ain’t got time to keep dying over and over with the holidays and stuff being over so my time is short

still need to finish ultimate alliance on my PS3 too …some day

Going to keep chipping away at GT7. Doing the WTC 900 this weekend in my detuned super formula car. Also, started Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order a couple days back and enjoying it so far. Not a Star Wars fan by ant means but heard the game was good so giving it a go

@nomither6 no shame in that. I play to enjoy games. Times to short to repeat and get frustrated. I want to enjoy the story and the game and not bothered about showing off or feeling the need to grind or get stuck in a loop. Gaming is meant to be fun not a chore

This should be my final weekend of BG3 tunnel vision, last night I saved just before the point of not return. I have all my ducks in a row and they are armed to the teeth and as ready as I can make them.

If I finish today then I'll be taking a break before starting a Dark Urge run by playing some Avatar FoP!

I got the platinum for Hades, yay! Now playing Crisis Core Reunion to refresh on Final Fantasy VII lore before Rebirth.
Really impressed by the remaster 😯

@darkswabber love love XII, have fun!

@rusty82 understandable , but the fun can also come from the challenge a game offers and overcoming those moments can feel rewarding when you get good at it which is also satisfying . it just boils down to me not having enough time personally .

a game like this i’d love to play on higher difficulty since it’s horror and i’m supposed to be vulnerable; the way im currently playing it can be immersion breaking

Couple of hours/chapters into Jedi: Survivor.
Enjoying it.

Started my backlog..Starting with Dragon Dogma Dark Arisen..Ready for Dragon Dogma 2..

Skate sim looks radical

Would everyone stop moaning, backlog this toooo many games get a grip , this is the best time of our , games wise ! Please enjoy people 🙏 😊

Love the push Square community

I'm playing Cyberpunk 2077 Ps5. First time I play it.
Only 3 hours into the game, but I'm really enjoying it. Spectacular environment. Really great.
It's been a long time since a first-person game captivated me so much.
It was worth the wait to play version 2.x.
I'm still undecided on the choice between RT or performance (but I should definitely opt for the latter...)

This weekend I am playing Diablo IV, collecting some trophies.

@Doctor_BK yes I’m enjoying it thanks. I can’t remember exactly why I didn’t finish it last time, I think I got sidetracked with other (new & shiny 😂) games. I’m wondering if I should just concentrate on the main story this time though, as if I do all the side quests it increases the chance of suffering burnout and then not finishing the game…again!

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Having a blast, and glad I waited for all the fixes and patches before jumping in!

Alright here we go another week another WAYP. Been a relatively quiet week. Tried Dave The Diver. Absolutely love it think that’ll be how I spend my weekend after work today. Terrific lovely little game. Did some Splatoon Splatfest yesterday too. Always love dipping into it for a little bit of fun. Can’t wait for that Side: Order DLC. Other then that I’ve been really going hard on Granblue in every form. Watching Relink Footage, playing some Versus Rising story mode and some matches with friends. Y’all ain’t ready for Lucillius in either game and just the force that is PARADISE LOST. Fate/Samurai Remnant, Assassins Creed they all continue to be nice. I think I might wanna check out and get that Prince Of Persia game too. Honestly I’m really just waiting on two games now. Another Code at the end of the week and Golden Sun on Wednesday. Golden Sun I’m really excited for because I’ve never played it before. Again it really do just be those January vibes where all you feeling is just…… meh. Anime of the week I finally get to shoutout the first of the winter anime as I’m checking some out today and tomorrow so shoutout to Solo Leveling, Shangri La Frontier, Undead Unluck, High Card and Sasaki And Peeps. Will let y’all know how those go next week. Podcasts of the week of course are the usual. Castle Superbeast, Big Think Dimension, Minnmax, Remap, Windbreaker, Firelink, Nextlander, RPGsites Tetracast and Into The Aether. As always I’ll ask to show some love to my friend over at Twitch.tv/akibread. Otherwise hey let’s hope that with stuff like Xbox’s Developer Direct this week we start getting a bit more hype with the weeks going forward. Have a awesome weekend everyone and happy gaming.

@Nightcrawler71 not a bad idea. You can always do side quests later if you want more to do. That’s what I do in these kinds of game s

I was away for work this weekend , but I had my switch w me. So made some progress in Mario Wonder. But I got home today and had time to put a couple more hours into Alan wake 2. What game! Have a great weekend!

little too late to the party, but I was playing Bloodborne - finally beat Ludwig the Accursed/Holy Blade after lot of attempts, but I did it so very happy for that and can move on in the DLC. also chasing the trophy for Pthumerian Queen in chalices - slowly progressing I love this game and hope there will be some day proper remaster/remake (ideally by Bluepoint) or BB2 (one can dream). Have a nice week, gamers

@nomither6 definitely but with my situation gaming time is too valuable a commodity to spend it repeating the same frustrating bit as nauseum so given s choice of gaming in a loop or having more relaxed fun the latter wins out