@ErrantRob Great feedback on both games - thank you! I'm definitely leaning towards Phantom Blade Zero first after all the comments, time to bring out my inner Jet Li.

@Czar_Khastik It's rare in life you get to make a choice where both options are right and, from everyone's feedback so far, they look sufficiently different so I'll have two varying experiences as well.

Planning on saving FF Resonance for Christmas at the in-laws, Portal in hand. It's that or conversation.

@whitejessegpfc Thanks for the comments. My son got the platinum and said similar about the side content, that it felt like an unnecessary time sink - and he has the habit of getting platinums in big, sprawling games so that's saying something.

@Somnambulance Yeah that sounds like a lot of what I've been hearing re Onimusha - could have been a ten hour boss rush! Re Crimson Desert I had the same experience with the story, and could see it being GOTY if they'd just got that right... speaking of which, I found Control Resonant's story to be excellent so maybe I need the nonsense of Phantom Blade Zero as a palate cleanser.

@Northern_munkey It sounds like, from the comments so far, I'll be on the Galactic Racer/Phantom Blade Zero combo myself! EDIT And Happy Birthday sir, the perfect age according to this northerner!

@Oram77 Thanks - the intention is to play both (not just because I've spent the money!) but conscious the GTA clock is ticking.

@Oram77 What are the key differences for you - Phantom Blade Zero vs Onimusha? As per my earlier comment my dilemma is a choice of which of them to play next/first. What do I need to consider before I dive into one of them Saturday morning?

The big question, having finished Control Resonant last weekend, is what new single player game do I play alongside the GOTY contender that is Star Wars Galactic Racer?

The straight choice, knowing I can finish one but maybe not both ahead of GTA6 is... Onimusha or Phantom Blade Zero?

Fellow PushSquarians, I would appreciate your feedback and guidance. And I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Also - what a year of the games. Loaded doesn't even cover it.

@Khlobenny CDPR should add a side quest to Cyberpunk where you get to play it as it releases, in that case.

@ShadowRJ That's pretty harsh on Satan and Lucifer.

Eight and a half years on and we are getting checks article a subtitle reveal...

Genius marketing ploy, sticking it in South Park.

Still amazed this doesn't have a character creator, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

If they’re going to all this effort to make sure Blade releases, with the backdrop of Gears’ recent abysmal sales figures, they’d be mad not to make it multi-platform. Otherwise Arkane will end up closing after release anyway.

@Northern_munkey Please, don’t ever waste Vimto.

No way I'm fitting this in before GTA with Star Wars Galactic Racer and Onimusha still to play through - but it's definitely going on the wishlist.

I'm in the final chapter of Control Resonant with a few main story missions to go and when I'm done, I'll miss this game. It's a slow burn initially and I'd recommend to anyone who isn't immediately grabbed to stick with it. Definitely in my top 5 for the year, there's so much in the later stages of Remedy doing Remedy things, at the top of their game - highly recommended.

Once the main story is done, it's on to Star Wars Galactic Racer and Onimusha WOTS for me - and I hope to be done in time with both for GTA6.

Have a great weekend everyone, enjoy whatever you choose to play and pour one out for Bioware.

@A-steak-with-ketchup Not as 'jenky' as your spelling...

An absolute classic, a must-play.

Control Resonant and I'm really enjoying it so far. I get the criticism of the slightly bland open world, but the more curated sections - secrets and puzzles, closed off areas, side quests, main quest elements - are packed with all the Remedy sauce that makes them great. And the anomaly traversal mechanic is so good. If I take a break from it this weekend I'll also start Star Wars Galactic Racer, which looks excellent.

@Kiryu-Chan Precisely what I came here to say after reading the article. The plural of Lego is... Lego.

Not far in to the game yet but already hooked - there's an atmosphere to Remedy games that I love and so far Resonant has not disappointed. Looking forward to playing more.

My wallet is already on life support due to the recent release schedule, but this is going on the wishlist.

Quite fancy that one, if only to save me from wearing out my lovely grey Dualsense and Edge controllers.

This weekend is all about Control Resonant. I've just reached the first boss and I assume I'm still in a prologue - hoping to make a decent dent in the game over the next two days.

Enjoy the weekend and all the games everyone!

One of my top games of the year so far, in an absolutely stacked year. I hope they get the funding to expand it and plan for a sequel at the very least.

Managed to pick up a physical copy on Amazon for £37 and it gets here tomorrow. I am very excited.

@Mr-Cage Oh yeah I agree with you on all points (except maybe the Switch 2 callout) but they can play the supply and demand game however they like. And with Sony not able to produce enough consoles for the demand pre-GTA6, people are going to bite unfortunately.

@Mr-Cage there are plenty of examples of other used items that, due to rarity/desirability, cost more than original RRP. And as for trade-in/buying price, it will be below RRP as-new. That won’t change and it’s how they secure massive margin.

The goal is clear and the race is on - finish Stellar Blade / Control Resonant / Onimusha in time for GTA VI, which I was determined not to get at launch, but the FOMO is getting more and more real. Don't be distracted by other great 2026 releases including Pragmata / Mewgenics / Ace Combat 8 / Star Wars Galactic Racer either...

What a year of games so far, enjoy your weekends whatever you are playing.

@get2sammyb Great review, yet another game I previously had on my 'wait for sale' list of 2026 releases (alongside Ace Combat 8) that has now become a must-buy. In completely unrelated news, selling 1 x kidney.

I for one cannot wait for this always-online asymmetric team ape-catcher from Jade Raymond's new studio, available as a digital download only.

Seriously though, Sony tapping into multiple dormant franchises is a positive for me as an older gamer and I can't wait to see what they do (especially with Killzone).

@GirlVersusGame Dragonwilds is just... simple survival-lite fun. Also has a Vanilla WoW vibe to it, without the depth of lore/mechanics.

I've definitely hit a traffic jam when it comes to my quest to play/finish 30 games this year. Halfway there, but on the list I have Cairn / Saros / Stellar Blade to complete, Control Resonant / Onimusha WOTS to get stuck into and now there's a very well reviewed Ace Combat 8 winking at me.

In amongst all of this a couple of friends have really got me into RuneScape Dragonwilds now it's 1.0... oh and they finally added a real Earth map to Civ VII, so there's that.

Finally, assuming it's as good as it looks, Phantom Blade Zero gives me until the 28th October to get through everything I've just listed.

Please send help, and have a great weekend everyone!

Ah well, another must-play from this ridiculous late 2026 release schedule. Onimusha and Control are first for me, may wait for a sale on Ace Combat rather than try and squeeze it in before that little indie release in November.

@GirlVersusGame Apparently discount #597 isn’t worth it

@Dan12836666 Thanks for your detailed insight.

The level of updating of previously vaulted content they implement, and tidying up of the rats' nest that is Destiny 2 overall, will be key to the success of this repackaging of a complete D2. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do, although I am betting it's not going to be all that quick. And then roll on D3...!

@CielloArc Watch the video announcement, more info and more apologetic than the blog post. They have a way to go of course.

OK, let's see if they are true to their word. Restoring all Destiny content would be an excellent start.

@Dogbreath While the audience for Remedy games is more niche than mainline, the first game sold well over 5 million copies. So the sales for Resonant have a decent chance of being better than 'tepid'. And aren't they resurrecting Max Payne? So we get the best of both sides of Remedy.

I loved this game, also got the platinum. It does a great job bringing out the emotion of life's journey through... stuff.

@old_gamer74 Good to hear you're on target, Control Resonant will take me to 21/30 played and 15/30 completed (if I complete it). So I'm a little behind but really enjoying this year of gaming and not letting an arbitrary goal stress me out too much!

I'm going to see if I can make a proper dent in Stellar Blade this weekend as I look forward to the Control Resonant release on Tuesday. I'm finding the combat pretty fun if a little repetitive and the game looks and runs beautifully on Pro... but there's something a little soulless about it story-wise in particular. Still a very good game overall and engaging in short-medium sessions, that I will aim to finish.

@Golem25 🤣 Aha, that old chestnut! Where are they, let’s be having them 😉

That's at least checks notes 19 discs per sale - physical is saved!

@Golem25 Mixtape is a GOTY contender. Oh and it was 5-0 by the way

@AaronBayne Makes sense, let’s see how I feel when I get to that second half. Really looking forward to it.

Have it preordered and very excited. Great review though it read all the way through like a 9 and then got the default PushSquare 8…

@GirlVersusGame It's all about the football rivalry, it's the Derby tomorrow and I happen to be from the blue side

I dislike games that gate the platinum behind difficulty modes beyond whatever the 'standard' difficulty is so I'm all for this, especially in terms of accessibility. Let it rain platinum trophies, I say.

Now I've finished the excellent Star Wars Zero Company and I'm parking the tough-looking platinum for a later date, I need to plan what I can fit in between now and Control Resonant, which I've pre-ordered.

I'm highly tempted by Onimusha after the feedback I've had from fellow PushSquarians, though I'm just over halfway through Saros and I've played the opening only of Stellar Blade, with plenty more in the backlog they came from too.

Have a top weekend all, unless you're from the wrong (red) half of Manchester.

Excited for Ball x Pit, disappointed in its staggered release date.