Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 598

After 149hrs I FINALLY platinumed Diablo IV but now in a ‘what to play slump’ (apart from Balatro of course).

Tried playing Path of Exile to scratch the Diablo itch and it was ok so may continue that. Ragnarok needs my attention as well but gonna be working and taking care of children so doubt that’ll happen 😢.

My PSVR2 mate has asked me to try out a horror game called Afterlife which is based in an abandoned asylum. Pretty sure he just wants me to fall over his sofa screaming 😂.

Have a great gaming weekend Pushsquarians! 🍻

I was struggling to find something I wanted to play other than Hollow Knight, which I absolutely love again now, it just keeps opening up. Totally ready for Silksong when I've finished it.

I wanted to play something like Subnautica, so I took another crack at No Mans Sky and loving it. They've put so much effort into it.

Have a great weekend Folks!

Wrapping up Shinobi (what a game) and patiently waiting for Dying Light The Beast next week 👍

(inhales) Super Robot Taisen Original Generation Saga: Endless Frontier Exceed.

Beat the first one ages ago, now finally got around to play the sequel. It only got fan translation, but it's really good.

Greetings fellow video game enthusiasts. I’ve been away the last few days and am hankering to get back to Ys X and Hollow Knight. (Note to self: always bring some kind of handheld with you when travelling. Travelling light is overrated.)

Borderlands 4 for me. Enjoy the weekend everyone

I'll be playing the demos for Digimon Story: Time Stranger and Tormented Souls 2 this weekend.

I'm glad Digimon has some budget put behind it at last as Bamco have seriously been cheapskates with it for the longest time.

I'll check out Tormented Souls 2 this evening so I get those spooky vibes in full force.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone~!

Completed The Last of Us Part 2 the other day and still absorbing it all. Just like the first game, it has left me ruminating long and hard on the ending. What a fantastic game: well-designed, well-written, tense, emotional, with brilliant gameplay, and moments and imagery that will be seared into my memory forever. Loved every second.

Now it's onto something completely different, as I have chosen to play The Messenger next. Oh my gosh, it's like Ron Gilbert got to make a 2D Ninja Gaiden game. I'm instantly loving the retro aesthetic, the sarcastic humour, the story, the music, and the addictive as crack one-more-go gameplay. So that's going to be taking up much of my time this weekend.

Also returning to The Talos Principle to see if I can finally figure out the last of the hidden puzzles on the DLC. I was thoroughly stumped last time I tried it a few months ago, so hoping my subconscious has been working on the problem in the meantime. I'm determined not to look up the answer.

Enjoy the weekend, fellow gamers!

My Birthday weekend, so wont have time to play much for the next few days. But I am currently debating if I should go all in on the new FC26 for next weekend? Haven't played a "FIFA" since 2021. But have the urge to jump back in. Someone please talk sense into me? Happy Gaming All

Taking my time to obtain the platinum trophy in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 after dealing with the superboss.

This is my GOTY and I would even say the Game of this generation. If anyone is having any kind of doubts regarding playing this, just try it for 1 hour and notice how every frame of the game has some sort of unique and enormous scenery in the background for you to absorb in awe while the music perfectly blends with it. And that stays true until the game's very end which is absolutely mind boggling.

I decided to only played one game until it's finished before i moved on to other game. I want to avoid getting side track or burnout from juggling multiple games.

So right now i'm playing FF VIII Remastered on PS4. I bought it brand new back in 2019 and since then it's just sitting on my shelf. Now it's time to cross out this game from my backlog and funnily i've never beaten FF VIII back in PS1. I always stop at disc 2 or disc 3 somewhere at Esthar. I'm currently at the entrance of Tomb of Unknown King. My party is Squall, Irvin, and Rinoa at lvl 14.

Have a great weekend everyone 🍻

I started to play The Tale of Onogoro on psvr2. I gave the psvr1 version a pass because it never really looked very convincing in the trailers or streams. Now I have to say that I am really surprised. The animations, the character (and boss) design and the Japanese voice acting are great, the music is partially great, partially maybe just interesting. The backgrounds look often very bland. Certainly that is not were the money was invested in and that is what put me off in the first place. Also the game is segmented in very small sections, and the puzzles occasionally feel a bit repetitive, but some of them are quite clever. Overall playing it in short doses is very enjoyable. I bought it on sale, and I am not sure I would pay full price for it. But, if You need a Japanese story for Your VR life, this would be a good addition.

Otherwise, I am not really sure what to play (Corvette grinding in NMS? I only replayed hitman 1 and 2 on psvr2, so could continue with hitman 3?), so I tried a couple of demos. I played outlaws a bit, which partially is very cool and partially the pacing feels too interrupted (not sure how to phrase this). Anyway not bad, but likely also not great either.

Then I played the Final Fantasy 16 demo. I played it in cinematic mode on ps5+psvr2. What a ride ! I cannot believe that there was not more excitement for this game. Obviously I haven't played the full game yet. But I certainly can recommend the demo.

More Gears reloaded for me good game but I won't be getting the plat, think I am about 2/3 the way through. I am also nearing the end of Dynasty Warriors Next on the Vita which I am absolutely loving and has made me want to pick up Origins on the PS5!

Happy gaming folks

Last night I 100% Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, a handful of trophies left to get the platinum but they are tied to the arcade and boss rush modes, I'll dive into those down the line at somepoint. Excellent game I highly recommend it for action fans.

Also last night I beat Sister Splinter in Silksong. Had a bazillion attempts, as when I first run into her I thought impossible too much stuff going on. Only to take her down later without getting hit. I felt like an unstoppable god, glorious. Will probably explore more later today with my new wall climbing ability, the map is really starting to open up now. Fantastic game!
@Jrs1 brilliant game, are you going for the platinum? I'll do it another time as an excuse to keep playing.

@Czar_Khastik. I must get around to it at somepoint, keep hearing great things.

Have a great weekend everyone!

i’ll be feasting on rats in vtm bloodlines and trying to find some enjoyment in everybody’s hot shots golf. outside of gaming i’ll be painting model kits and trekking to the old fart hobby store across town.

@TimeDelayedGamer The messenger looks and sounds really great! Not sure it is something for the big screen or is it ?

Soulstone survivors for me and a spot of racing too. Have a great weekend folks 👍

Back into Diablo 2 Resurrected still a wonderful game and so much more hardcore than 3 or 4. Even navigation is difficult!
Hoping to finally finish and mop up Death Stranding then onto the 2nd. A masterpiece of a game.
Have a great weekend guys and gals ❤️

@gaston It probably depends on your tolerance for retro games/pixel art, but to me it looks fantastic on my telly. I grew up in the 80s though so 8-bit and 16-bit are where I fell in love with video games, so there's probably a bit of nostalgia going on there.

From the couple of hours I've played so far, it's a massive recommendation from me. Just pure old school fun.

Went back to AC Shadows again yesterday so probably more of that but it's so long I'm close to 100 hours and I'm still in act 2. Probably also play a bit of Two Point Museum later on for a change of pace.

Originally planned on picking up MGS Delta and Gears but I’m going to wait on decent sales for both. Started Shinobi yesterday, excited to play through it after really enjoying the demo. This will keep me busy until Ghost of Yotei.

@JonnyAces Go for it. As a completely offline player I always have fun with it any year I buy it, the hardcore fanbase will bellyache no matter what so I tend to ignore the “discourse.”

@gaston @TimeDelayedGamer I loved The messenger. One of those games you wish you could forget and play over again.

@Onearmbandit ...you played Diablo 2 ? If not, you should. A massive challenge compared to 4

watching the fight this weekend , hoping bud shocks the world this saturday night! way too much respect is on the line for him and his legacy!

as far as games, still looking for ways to get BL4 much cheaper (PC)

Playing Hollow Knight which I played for a bit when it came out but decided to start again for obvious reasons. It's a good game, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure it's life changing.

I will continued playing fan favorite the incredible metal gear 5 the phantom pain definitive edition. And I will also continued the smash hit the excellent judgment.i will be watching my pittsburgh steelers 💛🖤 play.and I will be watching legendary sitcoms TV 📺 comedy shows in family matters.good times. Martin.the Jeffersons.sanford and son.different strokes.and saved by the bell.word up son

Far Cry Primal, which is huge fun and Balatro, which remains massively addictive. I am now trying to unlock the decks by stakes, when you do get a good run, it is very very satisfying, as is seeing the flames appear when you play a great hand.

Trying to round off Death Stranding 2 today after 160 hours (since release day). I guess I’m in the last chapter, but getting platinum might be a lot of work.

If it takes another week I’m okay with that though, I just can’t leave this game alone. The last days I was just randomly repairing roads while enjoying the music.

New Genshin update

Continuing my Xenoblade Chronicles journey on Switch. Don’t really have anything on PS atm so hopped into No Man’s Sky for the first time which should tide me over until Silent Hill F.
That and the Demon Slayer movie in a few hours at the cinema 👹

Have a good one folks!

Finally started this week Assassin's Creed Shadows, and wow, what a cinematic presentation!! A great step up from the previous games. Quite enjoying the gameplay, Naoe is lightning fast, and Yasuke is brutal!! Japan is beautiful realized, the culture and feel of the country is really at display.

Keeping with the Japan setting, I will play Yakuza 6 too. And Sword of The Sea, that beautiful indie that PS Plus brought to our hands. A great weekend to you all!!

Finished 'Mafia the old country' mid week. Decent game. Bit repetitive.

Started 'Hell is us' yesterday. Liking what I've played so far. Very atmospheric

Still slowly working through Elden ring. Just beat Morgott. Great game.

It's just been more Half-Life Alyx for me. About to wrap it up now and the game is, not surprisingly, absolutely brilliant. I hope Valve decides to release it for PSVR2 some day because it deserves to be played by as many players as possible.

Probably about halfway through Shinobi. It's a game to be savoured

Btw, do any of you remember when PS Blog had these weekly What did you play/watch/read/eat articles back in the day? They stopped doing them and became more of a corporate mouthpiece eventually, but at the time it was like the PushSquare of its era.

@KingPev I actually have been looking at getting 2 and 3 as 4 was my first ever play of that genre and I loved it.
I’ll probably get 2 in a sale 👌

I’ve had quite a lot of game time this week, which is nice 😊

Gears of War Reloaded – Still slowly making progress in the campaign playing split-screen with my son, and still loving it. I´ve had plenty time to play this week but the son has been rather busy so we´ve not played much sadly. On act 3, maybe halfway through that.

Robocop Unfinished business – finished and platinumed, enjoyed it quite a bit. IT didn’t overstay its welcome either!

Forza Horizon 5 – finally popped that platinum 😊 Its been a very fun ride, and I’ve enjoyed it a lot. Time to switch to The Crew Motorfest for more relaxed open-world racing!

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – replaying this awesome game going for the platinum this time, and I love it. The first playthrough I just did the main story, so doing everything and exploring etc is great fun and there’s a lot I missed the first time (on purpose but still). In Gizeh right now, enjoying every second 😊

Greetings all
I am very deep into Hell is Us but still working on Wuchang and Death Stranding 2 as well. I don’t like balancing three big games at once but I also am enjoying the variety.

My hope is to move to Cronos next! And get back to Sword of the Sea

It's a totally Digital weekend for me! I'll be playing the Digimon Story Time Stranger Demo which is even better than I thought it would be. I may play a bit more Triangle Strategy too as I wasn't really clicking with it until recently (took over 25 hrs and a difficulty change)

Have a great weekend my PushSquare Peers!

@Perturbator YES I do remember that! I used to listen to the Playstation Blogcast back then.

Sat with a priest at a tavern hoping he'd tell about a confession from a criminal but he won't budge. It was late so had to sleep in some attic at the tavern, could hear echoes of people drinking and chatting downstairs. The next step was to seek advice from my lord across town, on the way met this stubborn soon to be lord who asked to go party at a bathhouse. Graphics got sharper from the effects of alcohol, woke up hungry had to get some soup from the next tavern - this is Kingdom Come Deliverance, and it's £4.99. And all that is made even better in KCDII. Going to be playing these 2 for a long time.

I think my answer for the next few weeks will be silksong. I'm still in act 1 after 30 hours. This game is HARD. It might be the hardest game I've ever played and I've completed all the From Software games.

Mopping up the last few missions on Saints Row: The Third and maybe a bit of Raid co-op on Resident Evil: Revelations if schedules align.

This weekend I am playing Hollow Knight Silksong. There are so many wondrous things I can say about the game, but I want to use one word to describe my experience: exhilarating.

I could also discuss how incredible the world design is, from its atmosphere, intertwining levels that connect together, the music by Christopher Larkin, but I won’t. What I will talk about is how the game makes me feel, and how this culminates.

I’ve reached Act 2 and I’ve realized how brilliantly paced it is, particularly with its difficulty. It’s been challenging, yet fair. There were a few boss fights that had me stuck for an hour or two, but I eventually overcame my adversity.

Silksong gradually introduces you to new mechanics (obviously, it’s a Metroidvania), but also enemies and bosses. It will start you off with enemies that will take three hits to finish; a boss encounter with one phase; or a region that has more traps than the previous area. This happens just when you, the player, begin to feel like you’re getting comfortable with its design, and subsequently makes you uncomfortable momentarily. The crescendo is the boss fights that make you remember everything you have learned up until that point. And then you discover a second phase, and then a third.

It is at this moment your skills and reflexes take over. When they do, my goodness - you feel like a God. It reminds me of the movie Dodgeball, with the quote, Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge! You begin to realize you are memorizing enemy patterns. Muscle memory starts to take over, and suddenly you are jumping, dashing, dodging, and parrying attacks all at once and in between multiple enemies. It is utterly satisfying.

I haven’t felt this type of emotion since Bloodborne. I have fond memories of fighting bosses, dying repeatedly, but inching my way closer to victory each time. And when I knew I had the enemy on the cusp of defeat my adrenaline would start pumping, my hands got sweaty, my arms got shaky, and I entered the zone. It’s been 11 years since I’ve experienced those same dopamine spikes, and I didn’t think I’d ever have that again from a video game. Thank goodness, I was wrong. As I said in the beginning: it is exhilarating.

P.S. Screw Sinner’s Road and its bench!

@DrVenture69 NMS has been in my backlog for ages. How does it compare to the Subnautica games? I imagine it's a bit less focused with being procedurally generated.

I played Elite 2 Frontier years ago and had a great time just living the life of a space explorer, taking on contracts, trading, improving my resources etc, so if it's anything like that I imagine I'm going to be playing it for quite some time (when I get to it!).

@MightyDemon82 I doubt it, im bad enough at getting the rifts 🤣 Great game though, surprused myself how i coped with some platform sections but its just sooo smooth its a joy 👍

I believe I’m nearing the end of Act 1 in Silksong, loving every second of it.

More Hell let Loose for me this weekend!

Have a great weekend!

After I FINALLY managed to beat the gold stake in black deck on Balatro... well probably some more Balatro tbh!
A few more races on NFS Hot Pursuit Remastered which is ok in short bursts to scratch that arcade racing itch.
And have made a start on Alone in the Dark and am currently enjoying exploring the asylum, solving puzzles and listening to the notes being read to me... Not so much the combat.

Have a great weekend people. Hope you enjoy whatever you're playing and the RNG treats you favorably.

@TimeDelayedGamer, it's pretty similar in crafting to Subnautica (the usual farm resources, get blueprints to build technology). Some blueprints can be gated behind missions (I was trying to find a blue print for a antimatter containment vessel before it randomly appeared after completing a mission). Base building isn't quite as tight as Subnautica, the editor can be a bit of a chore, but it's not like you doing it all the time. There's a really nice dripfeed of discovery though. You're constantly either crafting items to make your life easier, or pursuing the quests. The flying and combat feels great too, you can offer to buy any ship that lands at a station.

You can notice the procedural nature of it, but it's no distracting, it's like "Oh here's the mineral on this world that I get sodium from" but it looks slightly different. The worlds and animals can look completely different.

Plus I think it's on PSN for about £16 at the moment. I've put 141 hours in to it, so yep, I'd recommend it. Edit: And it's PSVR2 enabled!

It can feel a challenge to remember how to do everything if you come back to it after a year or two like I did, which is why I restarted (it's infinitely better than Elite Dangerous in my opinion too, it has a story )

I'll be exploring Nod Krai in Genshin Impact.
As one of the three people who really loved Natlan, I enjoy the vibe Nod Krai gives off, but the world mechanics feel a little basic in comparison.
Maybe I'm just a little bitter because Lauma gave me one of the worst summon sessions of my life, but I'm still waiting for this region to grow on me.

I'm playing rock, paper, scissors with a skeleton in DA Veilguard.

Two excellent games this weekend after getting through the first part of Nier: Automata:-
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 which is awesome;
and Halls of Torment... which I think I prefer to Vampire Survivors even!

Thinking about getting that new Shinobi game. And I want to get back into Tekken 8.

Beat Hell is Us last night; overall, I'd probably give it a 7.5/10. In the beginning, I was really enjoying it and soaking up all the story/lore but towards the end, I was just ready to finish it. The lack of hand-holding was refreshing (love a game where I gotta crack open a notebook) and the settings looked wonderful/ran great on UE5 but the story lost steam heading into the climax and I wish the combat mattered more in terms of the glyph system.

I also would've platinumed it but I really didn't feel like checking every nook and cranny for the "Legends of the Phol" trophy; just make the trophy for closing all the Timeloops.

Anyways, I'm finally deciding to pull the trigger on Cronos: The New Dawn - if anything to get it in before Silent Hill f and Ghost of Yotei

I’m lamenting the end of my annual leave so I have been slaving away in Discounty; trying to get the town on board with my supermarket (and several barrels of apples as I accidentally purchased 20 crates and they need to buy them.)

I’ve been cleaning up some trophies in games I want a 100% on while I wait for the physical copy of CRONOS The New Dawn to come out. So, currently I’m working on the DLC for The Surge, which I haven’t played in years so it’s taking some getting used to. Other than that I’ll be watching my Detroit Lions hopefully get their first win of the season. Hope everyone enjoys whatever they’re playing this weekend!

Took the plunge Borderlands 4 on PS5 Pro have not regretted a single minute.
Playing in performance mode seems sharp image and smooth fps.

After bouncing off Lords of the Fallen a while back I finally went back and got through it. It was decent enough but not amazing, maybe a 7/10.

Downloaded the nun came from ps+ and might give that a go this weekend also as it looks interestingly weird

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound just released physically and I bought a copy. I'll be playing that and continuing along with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Both on PS5.

I'm going to try to sprinkle in some time for Street Fighter 6 and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves on my PS5 but it is definitely a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Mario Bros. Wonder weekend on Switch for me celebrating the Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary!

@JVCIOM70 Far Cry Primal what a game...so underrated, always wondered why.
For me its Borderlands 4 and Cronos, running out if time before Silent hill F and Ghost of Yotei 😬😬

I shall be soon finishing my playthrough of Hell Is Us, which I have enjoyed immensely. I've not finished the game yet, so obviously do not know how it ends, but from what the 70 or so hours I have played so far, I really hope we see another game set in this universe because the developers have done a superb job with the game.

No hand-holding, no map, no tracking what you are supposed to do next, you just have to find your own way around. I have made copious notes as I have gone around, which has helped me a great deal. Some of the puzzles are very difficult to solve, and I will not lie, I have had to seek help online for a couple because I just could not make sense of them. I don't consider myself to be incredibly intelligent, but I still look at some of the solutions and I still find myself baffled as to how you are supposed to arrive at the solution. That said, when you do solve a real head-scratcher all by yourself, there is a real sense of accomplishment.

As for the combat, it really is pretty challenging on the hardest difficulty, and after about 30 or 40 hours I turned it down one difficulty, and am enjoying the game even more now that I am able to undertake most battles without too much trouble. I do still die every now and again, but I never feel frustrated with the game.

Whatever the developers, Rogue Factor, do next, I really look forward to it as Hell is Us is very, very good indeed...

@Onearmbandit diablo 2 is the best in the series. D3 is great and is more fun than D4 but D2 is really the one you should consider.

@Lowdefal Yeah i get what you said. Some of my friends didn't enjoy the Esthar block too. I hope i'm not getting bored and stop playing FF VIII again when i reach Esthar lol.

But half of my biggest problems with FF VIII is around the draw mechanics and how magic became stock instead MP. I feel like these mechanics dragging down the battle and make it less fun. You want new magic? Draw it from enemies. You want hidden summon? Draw it from enemies. Your magic stock almost gone? Draw it from enemies or find a draw spot somewhere. The process became tedious and more tedious if some of your party members didn't have important magic to equip for their stats. So i'm glad FF IX and up didn't use draw mechanics nor magic stock again.

Virtua fighter 5 Beta

@DrVenture69 Hey, cheers for the response. It sounds right up my alley - might have to bump it up the backlog list a bit!

Borderlands 4 has its hooks in me right now, started slow but I'm really enjoying it now. It's much better than the last entry. Aside from that I'll be trying to finish up Hell is Us. I think this game is a rare gem as I love the puzzles and the way the story unfolds. It's been taking me longer than normal as I really don't want to cheat so I've been doing a lot of wandering back and forth trying to figure things out. I don't mind it at all because when I feel like I found a solution to one puzzle another opens up. There are a lot of levels of depth to this game and it really is amazing. Happy gaming everyone.

@TimeDelayedGamer no problem at all 😄

I am completely hooked on Oblivion Remastered. What a game. So much wackiness and fun. Also playing the new Donkey Kong game on the Switch 2 with the kiddos.

@Northern_munkey
Already on my wishlist 😂 👍

I am bumbling around Silksong and finishing watching Frieren this weekend. I adore Silksong, but I also think I'll be dropping it because the necessity for dpad movement is destroying my poor old thumb.

The Plucky Squire is leaving PS+ very soon, so that.

I am still one of the 7 people who subscribe to Premium so started playing the trial of Indiana Jones. Got so caught up in the adventure that when the 2hrs were up I immediately purchased. The fighting is clunky, the stealth a bit rudimentary with dumb AI but they have nailed the spirit and essence of Indy perfectly. Great fun 😁

Doodle Jump (Windows Phone) - Fun little distraction I need right now.

Gears POP! (Android) - Need to get back into my YT LP this weekend.

Battleship (Windows Phone) - no progress since last weekend has been made sadly.

@AgentCooper Likewise, along with your name; DAMN good name!

NG Ragebound. Best side-scrolling arcade action game I have played in a while. Vengeful Guardian Moonrider and Steel Assault didn't do it. I guess maybe since Gravity Circuit or Vernal Edge.
Anyway! It's great and you should play it.

I'm playing borderlands 4 its very entertaining runs great on the pro and the side quests are actually good id give it an 8 , gonna finish up tainted grail as well after 130 hrs im nearly done , then gonna say hi to Henry again on sunday and start the forge dlc , games are great ,cheered me up after a very depressing couple of weeks.

@PuppetMaster I own that. Never could get into it. Playing FFX-2, lol. Could have been special. Is sort of not special.

I'm growing veggies, chopping rocks and wood, catching fish and bugs, and selling them in a bazaar every Saturday

Wrapping up the Platinum/100% on Wall World, then possibly The Last Faith. Just picked up Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel, so looking forward to starting that up as well. After completing several huge games back to back it’s been refreshing playing some smaller more unique gems.

Thoroughly enjoying Black Myth Wukong and then I’ll jump back to Alan Wake 2 and Silent Hill 2. Also need to pickup the DLC for Lies of P.

@Fiendish-Beaver how’s the Hell is Us combat? It’s about the only thing putting me off trying it.

@Czar_Khastik as someone who doesn’t really enjoy turn based combat but loves exploration, beautiful level design and the souls like genre, should I give Clair Obscur a go?

• Battlefield 2042 (FOR THE GLO.... SKINS )
• Borderlands 4

Both on PC. PS5 Pro still collecting dust.

On the hardest difficulty, it really is pretty hard, @skud. However, you can swap difficulty at any time, and on the easiest difficulty it is very straightforward. The middle difficulty (Balanced) is what it says on the tin; not easy, but not too hard either.

I started out on the hardest difficulty, but after 30 hours or so, as the enemies became more difficult, I knocked it down to Balanced, and the game became even more enjoyable.

There are a couple of items you can equip that will give you health when you hit an enemy, and also when you kill one. It makes life much easier. I'm not saying you won't still die, but you won't be constantly dying...

Not PS5.
But actually nothing worth mentioning. This weekend was something between "no time for gaming" and "I'm so tired and exhausted".

@iPaud same its so awesome

@skud I don't care for turn based combat either, but CO has quick time events and parrying so it's a mix. I actually ended up really enjoying the combat. Go for it, it's an incredible game. In Hell is Us, the combat is decent but nothing to write home about. But if you enjoy exploration with no hand holding, you'll love it. For me, both games have amazing stories and the way they unfold is masterful. Both are in my top 5 for best games this year.

Alrighty here we go with another wonderful WAYP. Been a while since I did one of these but well it’s been a while since I’ve been playing games ahahaha. Yeah most of my weekends now are spent with my loving and lovely girlfriend. So I value the time I get to spend with her over writing up one of these. From seeing SummerSlam and A.G Cook in concert with her to then getting to meet the dude in person it’s all been incredibly awesome and with her by my side even more so. Truly I don’t deserve her but I’m gonna try every day to prove I do. Like everyone else I saw the Direct and loved it. Fire Emblem and Mario Tennis look absolutely amazing and I can’t wait for them. The weekend so far has been spent with No Sleep for Kaname Date and Clair Obscur Expedition 33. Kaname Date is an absolutely amazing game that I almost finished and just have a little bit of Epilogue wrap up to do. Think I’m gonna try to do that on Wednesday after my driving test which I really hope I’m successful with in my first try. With Clair Obscur I’ve been making good progress and think I’m near the end of Act 2. Made it to an excellent boss with I dare say the greatest song of the year, game music, pop culture music, anything. It’s called For Those Who Come After and NO SPOILERS it’s easily winning my vote for Best Soundtrack at The Game Awards if it’s up for that award. Incredible game with a very rich story. Rest of the weekend is gonna be Trails Through Daybreak 2 and either Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater or Raidou Remastered or Lost Soul Aside or just something to work on after beating Mafia The Old Country. Trails of course I gotta execute my patented favorite relaxation of a nice Sunday afternoon with some Trails and NFL on the TV in the background. Rest of the week is gonna feature the games already listed but also easily four of my biggest other GOTY contenders for Switch 2 and PS5: Donkey Kong Bananza, Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Hollow Knight Silksong. Absolutely fantastic and amazing games all around. From story to gameplay to overall vibes they’re all easily 10 out of 10s. Also wanna figure out getting the games for the rest of the year outside of the obvious Nintendo ones like Pokemon Legends Z-A, Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment, and Metroid Prime 4. Those being Borderlands 4, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, Atelier Resleriana, Silent Hill f, and Ghost of Yotei. Above all else I really just wanna do good on this driving test tho. Send your best wishes. Wrestling thing of the week has to be the absolute good eating we got next week with WWE Wrestlepalooza and AEW ALL OUT. Drop the tribalism and you got some good matches all around with stars like Okada, Moxley, Edge, John Cena, AJ Lee, CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. Let’s just enjoy some good wrestling. I know I’ll be booting up WWE 2K25 to celebrate. Anime of the week gotta go to Dandadan, My Dress Up Darling, Kaiju No 8 and Sakamoto Days. All excellent as always. Podcasts of this week gotta go to Castle Superbeast, Big Think Dimension, Into The Aether, RPGsites Tetracast, Kit and Krysta, Easy Allies, Second Wind, Nextlander, Cultaholic Wrestling, Weapon Wheel Podcast, Let’s Anime and Remap Radio. As always y'all stay safe, be cool to each other. Keep cool if it starts getting a little warm as we finish out summer. Have a totally safe and awesome weekend. And of course Happy Gaming.

@skud I would say that you're the perfect candidate for trying out the turn based genre by playing Clair Obscur.

The battles are focused on preparing a character's next turn by doing something with your previous character (e.g. Maelle will do more damage to an enemy if Gustav "marks" it). This reminded me of Slay the Spire for a bit, where you build up for a couple of turns with buffs and specific attacks in order to deliver a coupe de grace.

The defending is very similar to the soulsbourne genre where you can dodge or parry the attacks (and I mean almost every attack in the game). The dodge is a bit more forgiving regarding its timing but a parry requires very precise timing (but if you lower the difficulty you'll get a longer parry window).

The game itself is difficult (but it can also be very easy if you excel at dodging and if you apply a lot of passive skills to your characters). I'm an avid turn based player but I got annihilated at least 50 times during my playthrough.

Regarding the exploration, it is very similar to Elden Ring. The story is linear, but you can explore other dungeons and regions if you want to, especially later when the world map opens up. The thing is that you'll die in one place only to discover that you could maybe beat the boss in another dungeon and then return to the one where you were defeated.

The story is great, it kept me on my toes the whole time wanting to learn more about the world, the characters and the whole "why is the paintress here killing people once every year". And the story delivered, it didn't fail at any point.

The music is awesome. When you're in battle, the key to parrying are the visual cues but also the audio cues. What I would find difficult are the audio cues because I was much more concentrated on the battle music (especially some later boss themes).

The level design is grandiose. If you stop in place and look around at almost any point in the game, you'll see big landscapes in the distance, some monumental scenery above you, etc. So basically you could be in photo mode the entire game just trying to capture the environments. The only downside is that there is no minimap in dungeons, but I found it to be better this way so I explored more.

The atmosphere is like in the soulsborne games but not that dark and bleak. This is not a lighthearted game, sometimes it's really sad, sometimes it's just melancholic but at all times it is hopeful because your crew carries on no matter what.

There is a lot of lore scattered around, but it's not as cryptic as in Bloodborne where item descriptions are part of the story. Here you'll have journals from other expeditioners which ties greatly with the plot. It will keep you guessing what the problem really as and what the solution is at all times.

So there you have it, if you like soulsborne games, this is the perfect turn based game for you. The difficulty, the atmosphere, the story, the world, the exploration: all of this reminded me of Elden Ring (which I admit I didn't play, but I played a bit of Bloodborne and I watched a lot of videos about these games. My mates are also big soulsborne fans, so I know enough)

I downloaded Indika yesterday and played through that and it entertained me, but my god its just weird. For most of the game I was very much just questioning what the hell was going on in the world and how much of it was real or not.

Did a bit more Walkabout Mini Golf VR because its brilliant, picked up the Wallace & Gromit course this weekend to add the collection. I dread to think how much I have spent buying courses for that game.

Also downloaded and started the Early Access for Frosthaven on steam to give that a play. Its the sequel to Gloomhaven and is mostly the same but the gameplay has a few tweaks here and there to improve it. The characters also have more depth from the get go with personal quests linked to their play style to unlock additional perks. The biggest change is to the city where you now collect resources as part of your loot which is used to build the city up unlocking new stuff as you go. The Potions are also handled in a new way where you loot herbs and mix them at the alchemist to discover new potions.

I have played both Expedition 33 and Hell Is Us, @Steeleye50, and agree, they are both excellent. I think, for me, Hell Is Us just edges it as the better game, but there is not a lot in it. I think where Hell Is Us excels is in the exploration, and as that is something that I really enjoy in a game, that is probably why I just about prefer it, but there really is not a lot in it.

What I will say though, is that I hope we get a sequel to both games, and for me, they will both be games I shall pre-order...

@Fiendish-Beaver I haven't finished Hell is Us yet, but am finding all kinds of layers to it. I still like Clair Obscur better, but both are amazing titles. Have a great day!