Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 582

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

It's a really fun game and I'm glad that I get to play it via ps+

Trying to get the Platinum Trophy in Expedition 33 but a certain optional boss would rather I didn't.

Doom The Dark Ages, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Tainted Grail the fall of avalon, The Precinct

I’m coming towards the end of my collectible run of the Last of Us:Remastered, just mopping up some other trophies. I’ve got a lovely long weekend ahead of me, so I should be able to get my next Platinum.

Continuing with the fantastic Crisis Core FF7 Reunion - this has been in my backlog since release, it's utterly brilliant, though some of the bosses truly kick my fat ass but loving the grind
More of Doom The Dark Ages, about halfway through now I think, liking it a lot but I seem to just play it on autopilot. A game once played then forgotten I think !
Also, Age Of Empires 2 on XBX, one of the best games ever made, addictive like crack, brings back so many memories of playing it on PC back in yesteryear....
Have a great weekend guys and gals ❤️

I'm about 60 plus hours into the excellent Assassins Creed Shadows and I've just started Fantasy Life I on the switch.

Nothing. No desire to turn the console on, even with the weather reverting to "a bit rubbish".

My enthusiasm for gaming appears to be deader than Joel.

Got the platinum in RoboCop: Rogue City. Excellent game; I really enjoyed my time with it, and I can’t wait to pick up the DLC in July. I’ve moved on to Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights. 3 hours in so far but it’s an intriguing Metroidvania that’s scratching the Hollow Knight itch.

I'm a little bit onto cleaning up the pile of shame. Recently completed my 2nd run on TloU2 Remastered (well actually my 1st run on remastered), just about to finish High on Life (maybe clean up run on collectibles later) and after that it'll be Blades of Fire.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered: It's great to be raiding some classic tombs with Lara again. The Lost Valley and St. Francis' Folly are real standouts, but every level has been impressively upscaled and the modern controls work with decent fluidity. I love Survivor Lara, but this is the the Lara Croft I grew up with, and it's a real blast returning to this era.

Ratchet and Clank (2016). I have no idea why and when I got this game, I just stumbled upon it in my PS4 library. So I thought, maybe I should it give it a shot. Turns out, it's a pretty fun game. Just what you need after all those huge open-world games.

Gonna do a bit of mopping up on Dragon Age: Origins and also will install the original The Division, so might try and get the intro done on that.

Weren’t a massive fan of The Division 2 back when I played it a few years back… but strangely I’ve been fancying going back to it recently so we’ll see how my opinion may change on the series.

Balatro and Snooker 19 mainly for me.

I did purchase Days Gone:Remastered yesterday for £5 (with a £5 reward card as well) so will be delving into that at some point but not sure wether to transfer my save data as was nearly half way through on a hard setting but I think all the trophies will pop and I’m not sure I want that 🤔

Anyway, have a great gaming weekend everyone!

Just finished expedition 33 what a game , started tainted grail not far into it , but I know what I like and like what I bloody well see , another AA banger, kcd2 just had its hot fix so that's sorted now, may join henry on another adventure.

Tapper on my old 48k.

Continuing my play through of Fantasy Life I. 23 hours so far and the game is just really good. Nice to be playing an upbeat relaxing game after beating Kingdom Come 2! Highly recommend it.

Picked up Bramble and Planet of Lana in the PlayStation store sale (both under a tenner) which gave me enough Stars points to get a five dollar credit, so I a am considering returning once more for Sleeping Dogs for $5.99. I have never played it and it seems to be well regarded around here.

Continuing with Trails in the Sky Second Chapter. I've been taking my time with it because of various other commitments, but having a blast. The characters and story are so fun and engaging, and unlike some other JRPGs I could mention, the story actually generally makes sense.

Now speaking of story, I wonder if any of my fellow Push Squarians can advise me, how essential is Trails in the Sky the Third? I've heard it's more of a side story, but then others have said it's an important part of the overall arc.

I ask as it's the only game in the Trails series I can't easily play; I know it will run on the PC equivalent of a toaster, but I don't even have that at the moment.

Hotel Dusk on the DS and Fortnite on the Switch and Ps5.

Not much in anticipation for the Switch 2. Gonna be a slow 12 days.

Im about 120 hours in on Oblivion and still loving it. Just finished the Shivering Isles which is huge. It’s cool that if you start the Sheogorath quest after finishing Shivering Isles, the dialog is different.

Ive put over 100 hours in to The Blue Prince too. I just cant stop playing it, so much depth once you dig under the surface (literally).

Also playing a bit of Forza, and hopefully Days Gone soon.

Have a great weekend folks!

I will continued playing fan favorite the excellent kingdom come deliverance royal edition.i will also be continued playing one of the best video games ever made in the incredible red dead redemption 2.and I will continued be playing the instant classic hit the amazing monster hunter world.i will be watching legendary sitcoms TV 📺 comedy shows in family matters.good times.the Jeffersons.sanford and son.different strokes.and saved by the bell.word up son

Dead Space 2

In VR... kinda. Playing it on PC with Vorpx, so it's like sitting in a dark room in VR with a giant 3D screen in front of you. Sony should implement something like that for PSVR2, just think of all the added value of being able to play any flat game in 3D in VR.

Anyway, the game holds up very well. The sound design is just as creepy as I remembered. The visuals still look good. I keep dying a lot, even though I completed the Platinum trophy back when it was released on PS3, which required completing the Hardcore mode (only 3 lives).

I'm still hoping we'll get Dead Space 4 one day, although I guess the chance is slim.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - I’ve finished the story now. What an amazing game, absolutely love it. Its one of my favorite games of all time. Finishing of some collectibles and bosses for the platinum. Not really looking forward to finishing it, dont want it to end as I enjoy it so much and I always get that hollow feeling after completing a great game and need a day or two before starting something new.

Think play I’ll Doom next, might be the perfect palette cleanser.

Just beat Warhammer 40K: Boltgun. Man, that final boss was intense but pretty annoying when he summoned previous bosses to help him while he said he gonna fight me 1v1 and his power is unmatched lol. I give the game an 8.5 / 10. Needs more boss and enemies variation, more different looking stages because some looks a bit samey, and maybe a bestiary / lore database, which i hope the sequel gonna provide those fix.

But with Boltgun finished, now i'm moving on to Wild Arms 1. I never get the chance to finish this game because i lost my old save file. Now i'm playing from the beginning again.

Outside gaming, a couple of days ago i watched Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning at my local movie theatre. It was awesome and the movie feels like a big send off to Ethan Hunt character with almost 3 hours runtime and all the throwback to the 1st MI movie. I reccomend the movie for MI fans or anyone who wants to see an action movie with extreme stunt sequences but less CGI.

Have a great weekend everyone 🍻

Roadcraft on the 5pro, deliver at all cost and runaway a road adventure on the personal computer.

Bank holiday weekend baby!

The Precinct for me, gonna get that finished up today hopefully, have enjoyed it so far, really fun game and been ideal this week WFH, can just pop on, do a shift over lunch.

I have finally caved and bought FH5 despite already having played it to death, so will no doubt he firing that up.

Also picked up Deliver At All Costs this week as well, once I am finished up with The Precinct that will be next.

About to start Cult of the lamb, I quite fancy running a cult as I’m sick of shining my own shoes.
Also, in VR Holiday Simulator (known in some regions as Vacation Simulator). Coming to the end of it now but the sandcastles and ice sculptures are driving me potty.

Enjoy your weekend folks.

Doom the dark ages and not much else. I might emulate some ps2 as well.

Trying to play Tainted Grail, but its launched with so many bugs, screen tearing and crashing that its impossible to play.. so have ended up hooked on Palia for a bit of chill comfort gaming on a rainy day!

Dragon Age: Inquisition on PC, Boltgun on PS5 and if my mate is free we will probably do a bit more Diablo 4 on PC

FINALLY started Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and as a veteran of the original FFVII, count me impressed. The game is overwhelming with so much detail. It's amazing what they did!! I'm playing F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch too, a very cool metroidvania. Very close to finish my Yakuza 5 playthrough. Safe weekend my friends, good rest.

I continue my vacation in the world of hitman on psvr2. I now arrived on the Maldives. Awesome !

Also played a bit of GT7 on psvr2 after a longer pause. Still as great as when I played it first.

Well I finally got my new thrustmaster t598 and it's an awesome bit of kit so I'm all out on the rally this weekend. It's taken me all week to dial it in and change the position of my rig as I was getting a bit of kneck ache due to incorrect position of the foot pedals but it's all good now. Have a great weekend folks 👍

BG3, HFW, GOWR, EAWRC, CP2077, TW3, RDR2, it's hard to focus on a single game these days. Still stuck on Metaphor's final battle, will keep trying. Said I was going to just play 10mins of my 4th run of Elden Ring...2hrs later, roaming in caves, provoking Tree Sentinel, singing Agheel oo Agheel.

Traveling to Colorado this weekend for the holiday so I won’t have much time at all to game, but if I do it’ll be on my PS Paperweight ………..uh, ‘Vita’. ……. 😂😉 where I’ll be playing some Gravity Rush. Gravity Rush is a great title for that device as it makes good use of most of the Vita’s features. Unfortunately, about the only time I ever play my Vita anymore is when I travel which isn’t too often and even then it’s not much since there’s (obviously) other stuff I’d rather be doing. Anyways, hope everyone has a great time with whatever they’re playing!

Finally bagged the platinum on Clair Obscura Expedition 33 and it’s easily my top 3 favorite game of all time. I started a NG+ run to dip in and out of.

Now I’m back to First Beserker and Blue Prince but I’m really temmted to pick Deliver at all costs as a palette cleanser.

So much to play as always! We truly are spoiled.

PoP:LC and Sand Land. Get good use out of my Plus sub.

@Splat I highly suggest looking up or changing around your builds. I managed him on the second try after realizing I could one-shot my way through each phase by utilizing synergy between my party members.

Elden Ring this weekend.

It's the double Vavra:

Spending some time locked up in Mafia 2

And continuing my 'Henry Poking Things' photo collection in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Bounce between playing Oblivion Remaster and MH Wilds to get the mini crown for every monster

Continuing to catch-up on the PS4 library.

Finished TLoU2 (really enjoyed the gameplay and amazing environments, despite the linearity).

PS4 - Spider-Man

PSP - NHL 07

After a heavy time on Xbox Game Pass, I’m back in PS5 territory to continue my replay of The Last of Us. Then I’ll go back to the second. Loving the series.

Doom The Dark Ages, and Doom The Dark Ages.
Also, I might dabble in Doom The Dark Ages.

Not had as much time for gaming recently, so I've decided to have a bit of a PS5 weekend.

I got up early this morning and played some Elden Ring, and now I'm watching my son play Elite Dangerous. Might have some Dark Souls III later, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is sitting there looking at me, begging to be started.

After a lovely trip to Cost Rica the last weeks I’ll now round off the base game of Cyberpunk 2077. Just a few more trophies to get platinum. After that I’ll probably dive straight into Phantom Liberty now I’ve had a break from the game.

Supermario galaxy 2.
Revisiting probably one of the very best platformers made

Got the platinum for Oblivion remastered so back to my backlog either going to continue Star Wars Outlaws Sand Land or maybe Days Gone remastered. Also resubbed to Gamepass so i can play Doom and Clair Obscur. So many games not enough time.

Playing through Indiana Jones with Theatrhythm for some light relief on the shorter play sessions too!

Replaying FF XVI

This weekend I can happily say I beat Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and got the platinum trophy. For me personally, this game will go down as an all-time favorite. It’s peak RPG in every facet, but does it in a condensed manner that never outstays its welcome. It also features one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard in a video game. I’ve had the song Visages - Aria pour un Masque de Colere on repeat for days.

I’m now on to DOOM: The Dark Ages. The gameplay is top notch, but the tone and atmosphere feel different from its predecessors. There were shades of demonic horror in the first two games, from its enemies and environments, which told a story on its own. With this entry, everything seems more cartoonish and colorful. For a game that has Dark Ages in the title, it seems too bright in its aesthetics, and strips away the darkness of the first two games — something that would be more fitting for not only a DOOM game, but for a medieval title.

With all of that said, from a combat perspective it feels great. It plays fast and kinetic, but also feels slowed down to feel properly in control. The shield is an excellent addition to a series bolstering legendary weapons, and it never gets old throwing your saw shield at enemies and carving them to pieces. All of the weapons are fun to use, each with their own unique abilities, and the plethora of upgrades available really enhance experience.

Still, though, my only complaint is changing for the positive thus far. I’m on the 9th chapter and have a 100% completion rate for each mission. The game really hits its stride with confidence on the sixth chapter, after its tutorials. And really, these games are all about gameplay, and there aren’t many franchises that do it better than id Software. I’ll be looking forward to obtaining the platinum trophy for this one.

My wife is also having some friends staying over this weekend, so I think my father-in-law and I will bust out my Blackstone grill and cook hibachi for everyone. We haven’t done that in a while and the weather should be perfect to spend outdoors enjoying good food and even better company.

I jumped back into MH Wilds to get
that cool Dragoncloth Scarf and I'm intrigued by this Akuma armor that's part of the SF collab next week so I might play a bit more. I did finish the Iki Island story and need to continue on in Ghost of Tsushima PS5 to get the the plat again.

Have a good weekend gamers!

Baldur's Gate 3. I've put another 89 hours into this run so far and looking back at my previous character saves, I've spent almost 500 hours total on this game. I think I like it.

I do enjoy my turn-based RPGs. My enjoyment of ARPGs is more narrow - not into the Souls genre. All that said, I'm having a ball with Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon! It reminds me of a mix of my favorite ARPGs - some Dragon Age & Scrolls mixed with a healthy dose of Piranha Bytes (Gothic jumps to mind). It can be played in either first or third person. If this sounds up your alley, I highly recommend it!! Quick FYI - there is a demo out, but it does't offer the third person perspective.

@Marquez @Splat If you guys need help with the final optional boss, after days of struggling I managed to come up with an excellent build and strategy that let me beat him relatively easy, and not a one-shot method.

Roadcraft, FIFA Pro Clubs as usual on weekends and Balatro on the Switch whenever I get sent off

@JbumiSandra I'm thinking TG might be my next big game after Doom. Some of the builds I have seen are so rad and interesting. I love that there is no level-scaling, coupled with finding cool gear in places players prooooooobably shouldn't be yet. That's how these things should work.

Traveling for the holiday weekend, but I’m right before the last story boss in Sea of Stars. What a great game, the combat is really intuitive and has good strategy involved. Can’t wait to finish up when I get back.

Almost finished with the first game of Lunar, in the Lunar Remastered Collection. I’ll have my fighting game fix with the Capcom Fighting Game Collection 2, and Fatal Fury COTW. I plan to make time for WWE 2K25, Disney Dreamlight Valley and Monster Hunter Wilds as well.

Hour 6 million in the Oblivion Remaster, feeling cute, might do a single actual guild quest today

Back to the backlog I go after 100%ing Clair Obscur starting with Spiders-men 2! Really enjoying it so far and its just want I need after Expedition 33 wrung me out emotionally.

After finishing Clair obscure I’ve been a little lost. I played mafia definitive edition which was both fun and frustrating. Dibbed and dabbed with various games since but seem to have settled on Days Gone which I fell off after a couple of hours the first time around.

Just coming back from comic con when I get back I will continue to work on my second play through of metaphor going a lot quicker 😂 15-20 hours In my characters are about LV 38-40

I don’t Platinum games terribly often, but I got the one for Yakuza Pirates in Hawaii. Because the entire game was incredibly damn fun.

On to Expedition 33 during this three day weekend. Can’t wait.

As I start my time with PS5 (and all the exclusives I missed throughout the years) I have been playing FF VII remake.
I am about midway through by now and still have the same feeling as I when I played a demo back in 2019 as the gameplay royally sucks... But Aerith is a lovely as ever so it is forgiven I guess 😅

After just spending a significant time playing Control on PS5, I decided to tackle some of the shorter PS Plus essential games that I redeemed. Finished Concrete Genie this week which I enjoyed. Currently playing Spongebob Cosmic Shake. It is ok, not as good as the older Spongebob games. Do plan to finish it this weekend.

2064: Read Only Memories Integral (NS) - Finally downloaded this to try. I've heard good things.

Fragger (Windows Phone) - Nearly halfway done with this one.

@mac_da_man This is me! Absolutely loved Clair Obscur, one of my favourites of all time. I now just want to destroy stuff so Doom it is!!

Dark Souls 2: SOTFS on Steam. Tried some Skyrim modding but it's much more technical and finicky than I remember.

Returning to FFXVI soon. Good game. A bit too easy really. 25 hours in with no deaths.

The world building is great but the story itself is pretty weak.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Street Fighter 6
Guilty Gear Strive

Enjoying Soul Hackers 2 a great deal. I wanted an Atlus title to help make up for the disappointment that was Metaphor, and this is it. Heading to my mother's shortly to take care of a couple things there, then back home to knock out some cleaning.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

Witcher 3. Had no clue it was the 10th anniversary. It’s such an amazing game. Although I constantly get confused thinking the side quests are part of the main quest and then forgetting what I’m actually doing hehe. The combat is definitely a bit clunky and dated but it’s still fun. Glad to see they are changing engines for Witcher 4.

I also got fantasy life i but I’m afraid to play it because it will probably tele over my life and I’ll have to stop playing Witcher. Happy weekend.

My controller is so stick drift broken I can’t play many things with menus, so will probably just be watching tv until payday and I can get a new one.

I do enjoy seeing what people play though. Such a wide range of stuff from over the years.

Blades of Fire and The Precinct. I didn't care for the demo for Blades at first, but after a bit it finally clicked and the more I play it the more I am enjoying it. The Precinct is giving me serious Police Quest vibes, which was one of my favorite games back in the 80s. Happy gaming everyone.

TLOU2 is my go to for a game that packs a punch. Just seems to be that lonely world of loss, pain, suffering and killing for a cause that pulls me in. Games that tells a story is mostly what I'm into.

For a real challenge I'd say returnal was an amazing experience to the very end. Ninja garden 1&2 master ninja mode was insane but rewarding in the end except never played the remastered.

Finished off the Shinbakafu this afternoon 🔥 now for yasuke’s quest line ending and home stretch for platinum. Probably the most impressive PRO game I’ve seen so far, absolutely gorgeous ❤️ AC shadows is easily my GOTY so far. GOY may have something to say about that but we’ll see.

It’s Clair Obscur all weekend for me. Having a great time so far but it’s still early days. Great graphics/sound and a captivating story, just the type of AA game I enjoy.

Helldivers 2
I'm getting hooked

I’m looking for something new to play after getting the platinum in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Started playing Star Wars: Outlaws again but I’ve come to realize that I’m far more in love with dungeons and daggers than I am Gungans and lasers. So yeah, need a new dungeon crawler. Oh, and I’m playing ESO.

Spend the day at a footballtournament of my youngest son. Tomorrow is gaming day!

Roadcraft. First two maps are pretty easy. Got to the flooded map where you have to secure the miningtools. Played all of the spinrtires games and this is the easiest game to start with.

Balatro. No introduction needed.

Arma Reforger. Mods have arrived. My body is ready!

Have a great weekend!

@AhmadSumadi I would highly recommend Tainted Grail Fall of Avalon then. It's a total homage to the ES games. I've only played the demo so far, but I'm already hooked.

@Steeleye50 thanks! I’ll definitely check it out!

Finished Hogwarts Legacy (which I really enjoyed), and I've begun Death Stranding. A huge amount of cutscenes in the intro, so about to start the game for real

Just wrapped up getting the Platinum trophy for Claire Obscur: Expedition 33. Now Im starting One Piece: Odyssey

Wuwa side story update and cubies gonna cube tower. Yareli prime farm on Warframe and legendary galactic baseballer on HSR. I was hoping to see some capcom fighting collection 2 responses on here to tilt me towards getting it after cancelling my pre order. Guess it was a miss for respondees.

Rainy cold weekend outside, no fun to be had.
So indoor activities it is.

Started Blades of fire, good game.

Going through it, it also reminded me of the PS3 era... so ended up getting my phat PS3 out to see the... well, rain... again, and got into some God of War and Infamous goodness!

In the interim I'm also helping my son with some puzzles in The witness on the PS5.

Have a fun weekend everyone!

@TimeDelayedGamer The 3ed Trails in the Sky is similar to the corridor in Trails into Reverie. It has canon story content but doesn’t have an impact on the wider world.

I only played it for around 10 hours, but my problems may be due to burn out as I played the four trails of cold steel and then the two trails of the sky games immediately before it.

Just downloading Tainted Grail after reading some positive reviews. Got all bank holiday to get stuck in.

@Blauwe_Chimay hi mate. Will you be after the platinum trophy? I’m wondering if there are any seriously tough trophies to grab or if they are on par with the last 3 games. Thanks

@Marquez Okay, so I’ll provide a spoiler tag just in case others don’t want to see my strategy — [spoiler]I had Sciel and Verso as my first two party members; you don’t need a third, so just save them until the final phase.

Started playing Diablo IV after almost a year away. Yeah, this game is ruined by the live service model. I can’t do it. Sucks because I used to love the series.

@PlatinumMikey

You mean Roadcraft trophies? Ill think it's not so hard as the previous games. Im not a trophy hunter. If you like the previous games, you'll love this one!

Arma Reforger is a little bit harder. You have to finish the "solo" campaign and the ai can kill you from 200 meters away, through bushes, in the dark, with one bullet. Didnt try the "solo" campaign myself. You can play it with friends.

Balatro. Good luck with that my friend!

@Marquez One thing to keep in mind about his attacks. They are always the same regardless of phase. During his first phase he does his normal attacks. During the 2nd phase he does the same attacks but it’s doubled, so instead of a 3 hit combo it will be 6, and then on the third phase it will be 9. But it’s the same attacks so a quick succession of parries works!

@PlatinumMikey

I had a look at the trophyguide and it looks pretty easy. Ill try to grab the plat myself. I you buy the game, ill hope you enjoy it!

@Ryall Thanks for taking the time to reply. Opinions seem to be mixed on the 3rd Trails in the Sky - some say it's skippable, others say it's important and one of their favourite entries.

I'm planning on taking a bit of a break from the Trails games after I've finished Second Chapter as I don't want to burn out on them. If there's nothing essential story-wise then I may leave the 3rd game until later and play the Crossbell games first.

Last weekend I mostly played Helldivers 2, Two Point Museum and Underdogs.

The Helldivers 2 invasion repulsion missions (where your team has to try to take out 50 enemy ships/bases as they land, losing if you let 12 land at once or of everyone on your team dies) are brutal fun and certainly the toughest mission types. Personally I like brutal but those missions tend to cause lots of drop outs.

It’s Helldivers so players quickly jump in midmatch to fill empty slots but in a short match (IIRC those missions are on a 15 minute timee) being shorthanded even for a minute or two increases the likelihood of enemy victory since fewer people are trying to cover a big area (ships land randomly around the map).

Underdogs is wonderful. Being in a virtual mech whose arm movements mirror yours (so big and hard swings do the most damage) is really fun. Swatting a leaping enemy out of the air, uppercutting an enemy into a grinder, grabbing an enemy using it as a club or a shield or just throwing it at distant foes are all possible.

I am also really enjoying Two Point Museum. I just like messing around in it rather than focusing on the objectives. I am currently running a seaside museum which is functionally an aquarium. There are a few artifacts and suchlike but most of museum’s real estate and my attention is taken by live fish, turtles and sea monsters captured from various places which is cool because the live animals are breedable and a source of cash on top of the usual donations, tickets and merchandise sales,

My other museums toe the financial line (one even went bankrupt once though it’s now doing okay) but my aquarium tends to make a healthy profit. I am trying to get better at staff retention though. Hunting sea monsters and sharks is dangerous work which has cost the lives of a half dozen staffers but it can be made less dangerous with the knowledge and the right training and equipment.

Doom and expedition 33

@Blauwe_Chimay sorry pal yes I meant RoadCraft. Thanks for the info on it. It’s in my to-do list fo show

@Marquez Did you end up beating him?

@Marquez That’s awesome! You got this. Let me know when you do beat him!

50 hours into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and still loving it! def my best game this gen, im doing around 9 million per hit now lol

Maniac. Picked it up for a fiver, kinda vampire survivors and old gta combined, damn goid fun.