Xeno

As Saturday slowly but surely creeps into view, team Nintendo Life finds itself once again exploring the games that will be blazing out of our TV screens. We've got some co-op fun, RPG action, sports-based shenanigans, and much more this time around, so make sure to join in the fun by giving our entries a read, and providing your own in the poll and comment sections below. Enjoy!

Ryan Craddock, staff writer

This weekend I actually find myself in that strange phase where you've just finished something and have no clue what to tackle next. This past week, my partner has been playing through The Gardens Between, using me as her second pair of eyes during any confusing moments. The puzzles were a delight to play through (or watch, in my case), and we were both hit pretty hard by what turned out to be a shockingly emotional ending.

Similarly, we've both also been tackling Overcooked 2 over the last couple of weeks. I've never really been that big on co-op, but we had an absolute blast in the ever-moving, shockingly dangerous kitchens as we flung chopped up fish at each other from across the room. We just grabbed the last star yesterday, so we probably need to think of something else to play this weekend. Maybe we'll just wait for the Overcooked 2 update that's just around the corner?

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, reviewer

This weekend I'll be continuing my renewed love affair with Attack on Titan 2 (who knew swinging around buildings and attacking naked giants could offer such lasting fun, eh?) as well as popping into Paladins for some more team shooter action. I've also got plenty of side-quests and community stuff to pick up in Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country so my weekend should be well and truly stocked with digital to-do lists.

Jon Cousins, Japan correspondent

After the quite frankly astonishing number of people I waded through last weekend at Tokyo Game Show (albeit good fun and I met a couple of my heroes) I'm settling back into normality nicely. First, I'm digging deeper and deeper into Undertale. I'm certainly not one for RPGs, but a mix of quirky characters, a plot that teases a resonant ending and a dynamic battle system has me hooked right now.

After being on the fence about investing in this year's offering, the excellent review of FIFA 19 by gentleman and scholar Chris Scullion has convinced me to stick with FIFA 18, at least for the time being. It's great to see a decent game of footie on Switch again, but playing against friends isn't enough to warrant an upgrade (of sorts) just yet.

Liam Doolan, news reporter

I had no intentions of picking up Dragon Ball FighterZ prior to release and barely even touched the Switch beta, yet somehow, here I am now in possession of a physical copy of the game. So far I’ve spent about three hours in the training mode playing as Goku, Trunks and Gotenks while trying to get my head around the basics. I’ll admit I’m hopeless at the majority of fighting games, so I’m not sure how I’ll perform in this one. When I'm not playing this over the weekend, I'll probably be in Rocket League or Fortnite following the big updates earlier this week.

Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer

Once I secure two shiny Misango badges (I’m upwards of 150 now!) in the latest ARMS Party Crash, I will continue to fail miserably at not getting attached to the main characters of Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country, because we all know some of them won’t have a happy ending.

Another strong retail week for Switch means I have two dream games running alternately on the system: the incredible feats of Squad E during the Second Europan War in Sega’s Valkyria Chronicles 4 and the video game my very young self always dreamed one day become a reality, Arc System Works' DRAGON BALL FighterZ, the ultimate Saiyan lifestyle/screaming simulator on the ultimate hybrid console. The eShop isn’t exactly giving a break to my bank account either; not only will I sneak in some Debris Infinity sessions because I have a very odd concept of ‘relaxation’, but I am very happy to find at long last the fantastic Rise & Shine on Nintendo’s console. Truly we are living in blessed days of plenty, live it up while you can!

Glen Fox, guides editor

I'm still on Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and finding it a lot more palatable since beating Torna. I still just can’t escape the feeling that Monolith Soft should have stuck with Baten Kaitos though. As much as I do love the Xenoblade franchise, it just pales in comparison to Baten Kaitos. There’s just nothing else like it. The world design is by far the best of any game I’ve ever played, and I’m not just talking JRPGs. Then there’s the battle system, which was a mixture of a card battler and a turn-based RPG with absolutely gorgeous special effects.

When rumours sparked up this week about a potential Baten Kaitos 3, to say I was excited is an understatement. In the meantime, though, Xenoblade 2 is a more than competent JRPG with a ton of gameplay to dig into, so it’ll keep me occupied. I’m enjoying it enough to make it worthwhile.

Alan Lopez, contributing writer

If I grow up, I want to write dialogue for a videogame. But not a video game like Reigns: Kings & Queens, a compilation title released on the Switch that encompasses both the king and queen mobile titles that famously beckon you to the oligarchy. There is just way, way too much content here.

The setup of Reigns is a video game “Tinder-ized”: swipe left for an affirmation, right for denouncement. Here’s an example: “My lord! There are too many people to execute. I need help from the army!” Seems like a fish in barrel response, but the hook of the game is balancing your four meters up at the top: religious power, social power, military power, and economic power. You rarely get a moment to vote with your conscious because, if your meter runs out? You’re dead.

Sure, this game is best suited for the phone, but it works great on the Switch as well. Given the low price point and that both games are jam-packed on here, I've been having a pretty good time with Reigns: King & Queens, a game I personally didn’t have to write infinite dialogue for. Praise the Queen.

Which games are you playing this weekend? (285 votes)

  1. The Gardens Between1%
  2. Overcooked 22%
  3. Attack on Titan 2  0%
  4. Paladins4%
  5. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country12%
  6. Undertale5%
  7. FIFA 192%
  8. FIFA 181%
  9. Dragon Ball FighterZ6%
  10. Rocket League4%
  11. Fortnite6%
  12. ARMS4%
  13. Valkyria Chronicles 410%
  14. Debris Infinity  0%
  15. Xenoblade Chronicles 28%
  16. Reigns: Kings & Queens  0%
  17. Something else (comment below)35%

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As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to leave a vote in the poll above and a comment below with your gaming choices over the next few days...