Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (14th February)

Greetings fellow video game enthusiasts. My dad surprised me with a Switch 2, which I am in the process of setting up as we speak. I'm excited to play Mario Kart World and I also ordered Donkey Kong Bananza and Metroid Prime 4. What a time to be alive!

I've done everything I wanted to do in Cyberpunk 2077, now I'm curious about the other two endings in Arasaka and Panam.

My other goal is to do daily runs in Have A Nice Death, since there are some more Curse cards I'd like to unlock.

I'll also look for the time to play the Darwin's Paradox demo since there is a pre-order available for a physical edition including an artbook at LRG.

And I'll participate in the weekend ritual @ Tetris Effected Connected.

Happy gaming!! ✌🏻🧡🎮

Hello fellow Nintendo Lifers!

It's Valentine's Day so I am off to a bookstore date today with my significant other.

I finished Pokémon Legends Z-A this week and am currently playing these games:

• Tears of the Kingdom: 66% overall completion
• Final Fantasy VII Remake: Chapter 10
• Fire Emblem Path of Radiance: Chapter 12

I am also considering what other game to add to the mix. Probably Donkey Kong Bananza, as another JRPG would be a bit too much next to TotK and FFVII

Happy gaming everyone!

We’ve been watching a lot of Winter Olympics in our house this week, all the snowboarding coverage had me interested to dig out the Playdate handheld console and play some Carve Jr. It’s a score-chasing snowboard title which uses the crank controls to great effect - after a slow start can now build up a lot of speed and pull off longer chains of tricks. Made it into the top 50 high scores last night so will see if I can go any further.

Outside of that I’ll play some more Tetris on the Game Boy, slowly getting better high scores here too and started to unlock some of the mini endings which are quite satisfying to achieve.

Also the replica Virtual Boy for Switch Online arrived yesterday so will get that set up in anticipation of being able to play some games on it from 17th February. Our postie left it behind the bins as we were out all day and luckily the inner packaging just about survived yet another downpour. Happy gaming all!

Wrapped up Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir. Story got better and having some coffee before playing helped too. Taking a break before starting the prequel.
My main focus is now on Pokemon Legends Z-A DLC post-game.
Also playing the ususal long-term games:
Picross -LogiartGrimoire-
Hello Kitty Island Adventure

PC: Sonic Racing: Crossworlds and Titan Quest II
Switch 2: Grid Legends: Deluxe Edition
PS5: Nioh 3

This week I will be mostly playing

Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love
Fire Emblem Shadows
F-Zero GP Legend

@Pillowpants I'm three chapters ahead of you in FFR and the next two chapters are my favourite up till now. Let me know what you thought, I'm curious! 😂

Its an elusive three day weekend for me, and I definitely intend to use some of it for gaming. Im about 20 hours into Cyberpunk 2077 on the Switch 2, so that'll probably continue playing that.

After recently rolling credits on the original Hades, Ive now returned to Dead Cells to see if I can get to the end of that.

I reference my backlog quite a bit, and at the moment, 45 games are remaining. Some ive started and didnt jive with, others are collections with multiple games that are half finished, and a few that I didnt like and likely wont return to. Many of these were purchased when there were large discounts or were gifted.

What does everyone else's backlogs look like?

I finished Hogwarts Legacy (not 100% but life’s too short and the backlog too long) - enjoyed it but I’m ready to move on. It was my birthday in the week and I got Metroid Dread so will be starting that as my next ‘main’ game. However I’ve decided to play a bit of Mario Kart World and maybe some NSO first. Kind of forgot how good MKW is, since I moved onto other games after that initial week or two, and the improved map features stops the free roam from being frustrating. Fun times!

Switch 2: Metal gear solid master collection 1. (MGS2) and the brilliant Ghost Trick!

Steamdeck: Leisure Suit Larry 3 and Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within

As said above: Final Fantasy Remake is my gaming life at the moment. It's brilliant and is so different from the original, while staying true! Feels absolutely magical!

I'm back into MK World too! May just start a new file so I can collect all the trophies and characters again!

And I've got a Dr Mario craving I'm fuming with the NSO app! But first: I'm off to a Dino 360 experience thing for my geeky boyfriends ultimate Valentine's day!

I will play Reanimal with my partner, and continue Paranormasight. Also got back to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy that I didn't play since 2020. I've only played through one and a half game of the triology, feels nice to be back!

Eggstra work.

Finished the Miriam Shrine in Final Fantasy XII.

Happy gaming, everyone!

Loving me Lenovo Legion Go S. Played 80 hours on Skyrim since Christmas, then moved onto dispatch and now I am starting Ghost of Tsushima! All handheld!!! Brilliant device and it's massively changed my playing methods.

@Divide_and_Wander Thanks for sharing. And interesting question, I never really imagined that the definition of backlog could be different for everyone!

I've got 23 boxed games that I haven't started yet. Just removed the plastic, slotted the gamecard once in the console to get the icon and moved it to my "New" folder. 5 of these are S2.
I've got one digital game in the backlog.

I've got 5 pre-ordered games and 2 awaiting to be pre-ordered.

So none of these have been played yet at all.
Retro games and remasters I already played but not from these versions.

Then I've got all the games I've already played through but want to get back to, I cannot count these, I'd say around 10. And finally the games on NSO, from back in the days when I was a kid, I want to discover or play through again.

Good evening my gaming crew I'm been playing Metroid prime 4 Beyond on normal I'm 89 percent I want to get 100% also I've been playing Metroid prime remaster just got hook shot and x-ray I got 5 key things I still prefer the GameCube version also mk world trying to get 150 all three stars I only got two complete so far it's pretty challenging for me I'm 51 not 18 anymore lol Pokemon z-a got to a medium sized rabbit boss die three times I get there love the game and pixel graphics and love 30 fps also dk bozana 🧡 two boss beated him in like 1minute 40 seconds lol so good I'm picking Mario fever tennis PGA tour 25 on Tuesday show my switch 2 some sports 💙 poo box 🤎🤎🤎 halo infinite multiple call of duty WW2 vaugard Forza Motorsport ps5 PGA 23 850 hours mk deluxe edition ❤️❤️❤️ so to my game Crue happy gaming everyone from Sydney Australia 💚🕹️🎮💙💙🦕❤️🚕🚔🚚🚘

Dragon Quest I+II Remake: Obviously starting with I and it sure feels weird having only one party member. The story also flows quite quickly, with my having already done about one-third, including three of the ten bosses. It's quite satisfying to return to Dragon Quest, from the sounds of walking through doorways to discovering unexpected items in pots and on shelves. The Hero is given a surprising bit of depth with his relation to Erdrick, and the people you encounter such as Robbin 'Ood or the fairies are quite memorable.

@Yalloo - So you use your Switch itself to keep track of unfinished/unplayed games, or do you use some type of tracking (written, website, etc)?

Ive been using a site to help me keep track, and ive been trying to come up with a definition for when I can mark a claim as complete. Hitting the credits is simple for most, but then what about retro games collections... is it complete when you've played them all, gotten all high scores, or if the games have endings, get to the end of then all? UFO 50 seems like itll be mark as playing/incomplete forever, haha.

@Divide_and_Wander I consider my backlog to be all the games I've never tried yet. Over 200 games on steam, mostly because I buy bundles and trade keys... It used to stress me out a lot, but now I'm trying to be more chill and play games I really want to in the moment.
On switch 2 I actually try to avoid that kind of backlog. I only have some games I'd like to get back to and finish, which I've started to do this year.

I am playing Dragon Quest VII reimagined and I am thinking it is awesome!

Believe it or not, I'm still on 'Tokyo Xanadu xe+'. It has been a really amazing experience, and I'm just about to begin the final dungeon. 70 hours in now, I didn't think I'd spend so long in it. But I'm kinda sad to move on, I really love the characters and the setting.

I'm hoping to beat it this weekend. Then I'll go back to 'Clair Obscur' on PS5 which I haven't touched since before Christmas. I even moved the PS5 from our living room into my personal gaming space to encourage me to use the PS5 more.

One game: begins with a D and ends with a ragon Quest VII. Loving it, 25 hours in now and some of the twists and turns are insane.

the Witcher 3- been thinking about finally getting stuck into this game.
fallout 4
Tomodachi life

Hollow Knight Switch 2 Edition… yeah, it’s got me, all over again. Incredible game, I’ll get around to Silk Song some day 😆

Fired up Date Everything for a bit this morning. Nothing says Valentine's Day like trying to chat up the toilet while your partner is out of the house

Main solo game atm is Tales of Arise on PS5 (was cool to see it announced for Switch 2 but just a little too late for me). Not played a Tales game since Symphonia but so far enjoying it.

Partner and I have started the 4th Turnabout of Dual Destinies in the Apollo Justice Trilogy so might make a little progress on that (although it's not raining outside for a change so might need to go frolic instead).

Enjoy it, whatever you get up to folks!

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage on ps5 for me. I finished the first tape yesterday. I'll try to get to the end credits by tomorrow night.

And probably a bit of Nuclear Throne. It's amazing how bad I am and it doesn´´t bother, I keep playing with the vain hope os maybe someday seeing the freaking throne

I am being impressed by the Switch 2 version of Dynasty Warriors Origins this weekend!

Link's Awakening on the Game n Watch, it's as fun n charming as ever. Hopefully start Disco Elysium soon too.

I went and got the Rayman 30th anniversary game. It reminded me of how beautiful and very hard that game is. Will jump on Animal Crossing Switch 2 edition.

For me this weekend it’s:

Cyberpunk 2077-
Just bought this game a couple days ago. Only played a couple hours so far but I’m really enjoying the world building and I liked the character creator.

Sonic X Shadow Generations-
I’ve been enjoying this game, especially the modern Sonic stages

I’m definitely feeling a Disco Elysium shaped hole in my heart right now though after finishing the game! It was so good, absolute 10/10

Interesting, another week with no clear winner thus far and lots of different games so far it seems. Lots of diverse choice 😊. For me? More Super Kirby Clash! Up to 580/900 hero quests complete. I love it so much! Probably a little more Balloon Kid too (NSO).

Have a good weekend all.

@Eduard_Brenton What a gift!

I'm playing Skator Gator, Mewgenics, Quest 64, Rocket League, Super Bomberman Collection (I've been playing all these on Deck for years, but got snagged into buying this and am glad I did. Love the presentation, Bomb Radio, and the strange way they programmed this such that I can set it to 90fps and play faster, or set it to 45fps to slow the game down!), Liminal Dream (a romhack that is now on Mario 64 pc. I'm liking it a lot so far), Banjo Dreamie (romhack on Banjo Recompiled. It's pretty difficult, but fun and of course runs perfectly at 300fps), Urban Trial Freestyle, Universe (great fan game that is a love letter to Gradius, and runs with messed up graphics on Deck, but playable), Super Monkey Ball 2, Gokujou Parodius Da Deluxe Pack, Mario Kart 64 remade, Wipeout, etc!
I'm also enjoying Ian McKellan's performance on Colbert where he spoke as Thomas More as written by Shakespeare. Also listening to unique soundtracks made by fans for community made free games.
May all of our hearts blossom with compassion!

Mario Tennis fever

MGS Master Collection volume 2 announcement felt like the perfect opportunity to return to MGS3.

Playing Pokémon Go all weekend. Therian Enamorous débuted today. No hundos. Got the Luvdisc I was after though, and ditched my only shiny Shadow Ho-oh, which I had traded for a costume shiny Cottonee. 😅

Gigantamax Meowth débuts tomorrow, so we're looking forward to that for some reason, even though it's going to be completely useless. 😅 Gimme that shiny!

Since the free update, I've also gotten back into the routine of playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons after a 3.5 year hiatus. Funnily enough, the new content doesn't really appeal to me at all, and I don't even particularly care for the island being overrun with tourists (males dress like Wario, females dress like Princess Peach; and I had underestimated just how quickly the novelty would wear out).

Respite from the snow these past few days, yippee! So while it melts this weekend, I’ll see if I catch that Mario Tennis Fever and maybe just play the adventure/tutorial mode for a while. And I’m sure I’ll finish off the last of the standard Picross puzzles in Sega Picross. I don’t know if I’ll find the mega-picross and color-picross puzzles as satisfying. We’ll see! I’ve got Namco Picross on deck, anyway. 😁

But really my main pursuit this weekend is finding a cheap, used stand for my boxy old CRT TV. I dug it out of the basement and bought myself a top-loader NES because the retro bug hit me hard lately. I’ve realized that, wait as long as I like, some games I loved as a kid are just never coming to modern consoles. So I’ll just play them the old-fashioned way, seated way too close to my old 19” tube tv. At least, I will if I can find a decent tv stand!
What can I say, I’ve watched too much Retro Bird on youtube lately. 😅

Wishing everyone a warm weekend, with the people (and games) you love! 🕹️💕👾

Hello again, y'all! This weekend I'm playing:

Dragon Quest XI S Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition: I now have three party members Hendrik, Rab, and Sylvando back in my possession, and still searching for the other four in order to gather up my complete party again, which is the game's next objective.
Animal Crossing New Horizons: still doing the usual stuff. Might go on hiatus a bit in a few weeks?

Yakuza Kiwami 3

@MegaChem maybe you should play 1 game in order.

Mario Tennis Fever. I even lent my Switch 2 to my friend for the day, so that he could practice up for tonight’s matches. I love how the intensity of the game is pretty adjustable to several measures. My friend and I have already had some tight matches, just playing around with the Fever Rackets.

I’ve recently wrapped up Star Wars outlaws and absolutely loved it. Yesterday I finished up Ninja Gaiden ragebound and it was definitely worthy of the ninja gaiden handle. It had all the platforming and action a ninja game should have, so I loved it as well. I will have to crack open the latest Shinobi game soon to compare. Overwatch I will continue to play thru with some mystery heroes my favorite. So far I’m really liking Emere and Domina. I’m also playing a bit of Pokémon za that I picked up used awhile back. It’s ok so far but I’m really in the mood to go back and do a play thru of yellow with Mr. Mime as my main. I’ve never played much as the dopey clown but I think it’d be an interesting basket to place all my eggs.

Switch 2 - Fantasian Neo Dimension

PS5 - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Romeo is a Dead Man, Yakauza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties

Gonna try and finish Dragon Quest VII, but I still have ways to go turning Ruff / Gabo into a platinum slime and Maribel into a magical peacock.

Also might bite on Mewgenics, it looks exactly like my kinda crackhead game

Finished up Escape from Ever After not that long ago and it’s one of the best Paper Mario-likes out there. I think I like it more than Thousand Year Door.

My attention is now mostly on Lumines Remastered and Romeo is a Dead Man.

Got mario tennis fever - excited to play! Tempted to buy metal gear solid collection 1 from eshop.

My 12-year old and I beat a co-op run of The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (SNES) this week in one sitting and no deaths!

I think I'm about halfway through Fantasian NEO Dimension. My kids are playing Pokemon Blue (Game Boy), Pokemon Silver (Game Boy), Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (Switch), and Super Mario Galaxy.

This weekend I am playing NiOh 3. I’m approximately a quarter of the way through with 13-hours of playtime. My experience has been sublime thus far. If you are not a fan of souls-like then this game won’t move the needle. However, if you’re a fan of this genre, and generally hardcore action game with robust combat, then welcome aboard.

This latest entry is probably the most accessible because of the approach in its difficulty. It’s achieved by open world exploration, and giving always giving you something to indulge. If you’re having trouble with a group of enemies, or an optional boss, simply go somewhere else. There is a strong essence of player agency and freedom, providing you the feeling that you aren’t ever stuck. It’s comparable to Elden Ring in that regard.

As we all know, this genre is typically associated with difficulty; NiOh 3 is no exception, but it’s hardly unbearable. There were a few boss encounters where I questioned my ability to defeat them, but once I understood the mechanics, the correct time to switch fighting styles (samurai and ninja), and deflecting, fights became manageable. One boss I encountered, Kamaitchi, which I believe is optional, was frantic, engaging, and incredibly unique with some of its movements. It’s easily one of my favorite throughout the entire souls-like games on the market.

The combat is the real star of the show—a staple in this franchise. It’s arguably better than any souls-like, perhaps even superior to From Software games. There is so much variety on play, and the amount creative builds feel limitless. In the prior two games you acquired various weapon types, each with their own stance and skill trees to master. That core element is still present, but rather than being a samurai you can switch to a Ninja on the fly. In doing so, there is no Ki pulse or different stances; instead, you’re more versatile, nimble, quicker to dodge, and can use various magic abilities in addition to numerous weapons. It’s a fun mechanic that is seamlessly integrated in the enemies and bosses you fight, making you to have quick reflexes.

One complaint I’ve had in every NiOh game is the copious amounts of loot. It really can be exhausting trying to manage everything. Whilst it’s still prevalent, there are accessibility options to make life easier. You can adjust your settings so anything that you pick up can be sold, or disassembled from common, uncommon, legendary, and rare. You also get the choice to choose between common, uncommon, rare, and legendary, that way you won’t be overwhelmed (more than you have to). This helps ease the monotonous of pouring through lists and lists of what to keep or not.

All in all, NiOh 3 seems to be the culmination of all its trademarks, and a new beginning for the franchise. It builds upon its foundation, sharpening what sets it apart from its contemporaries, and tries something different. There may be a couple of stumbles along the way, but nothing too bad to negate the amount of positives the game offers. This will more than likely be in the GoTY discussion, and it will be justified. In my opinion, this is Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo’s best game yet.

It will be a mix of adventure mode in Mario Tennis Fever and the early game of Pokemon Legends ZA for me. Also have a new pro controller coming in the mail today so I’m excited to finally try out and compare it to my OG pro controller. Lastly, will probably play some Little Nightmares 3 in co op (mainly so we can hurry through to play Reanimal, which looks better, lol). Happy gaming!

@Divide_and_Wander I keep an Excel sheet with all the games I own, with a column "completed" yes/no. I also have folders on my main Switch "New / Unfinished business / 100%". To be fair, I consider this to be part of the fun of videogames, just like collecting physical editions.

To avoid writing a book about it ... I'd say that I consider having completed a game once I'm satisfied with what I've done with it. That normally depends on how much I've enjoyed the game. If I didn't so much, rolling the credits is enough. If I did, I'll likely play through all the achievements, unlockables, collectibles, maxing out the skill trees, getting gold medals, playing through higher difficulties, etc ... now it can be that I will stop at some point if it becomes too hard, or if I get bored with it. But past the credits, I'm basically setting my own expectations as to what I will do and keep going for it as long as I have fun doing it. If I want more, I'll set new goals.
That also doesn't stop me from going for another playthrough in the future, but I consider that I have already completed the game then.

I wonder about this sometimes, even more with reviews and how far through the game do reviewers go. Especially when I see the yearly playtime of reviewers that feels so little compared to my own XD

I'd say overall that it is something very personal. It's supposed to be fun and also challenging (at least for me).
Videogames are imo the most evolved form of art that exists, so there's also that to enjoy, the visuals, animations, music, .... how much time are you supposed to stare at a painting before you've "seen" it .. ?!

playing a few things this weekend

Resident Evil 0's Leech Hunter for my Gamecube
Dragon Quest III HD Remake for my Switch Lite
Alpha Protocol or at least replaying Batman Arkham Origin for my Playstation 3

Just finished Republic Commando. I really enjoyed it. I'm taking a break from gaming this weekend and just going to enjoy the beach

Tried the Pragmata demo and enjoyed it! I'll have to think whether I'd be up for a full game of it though.

Also played a decent amount of Metroid Prime 4 and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker!

@Eduard_Brenton amazing! Have fun with your new Nintendo Switch 2, fellow video game enthusiast. My daughter laughs at me when I say Switch 2… she thinks it’s unnecessary, ‘just call it a Switch Dad!’ ‘No my dear, I’m afraid you just don’t understand. Now get me my Nintendo Switch 2 from the dock please…’ 😅

After a fairly Wreckfest-filled week (I kept thinking I could wrap up the career soon but the leagues are growing 6-8 races per event now, which the pursuit of bonus objectives can recurrently double), I'm not even confident about putting other driving stuff among my weekend backlog plans, although the related Cyberpunk and Borderlands 2 bits may still apply, and I might already start Mario Kart 64; SMK just saw me settle for the silver in the 150cc Star Cup and honestly ponder cutting my losses here because Special Cup's first race wipes the floor even with the variably recommended Toad (let alone Peach whom I got through every previous cup). The completion is off the table anyway as I never had any interest in the local time trials.

The SNES app, however, might just get more of my time toward finishing Yoshi's Island, and the mood may extend to other veteran franchise binges like Zelda II and Zero Mission. Of course, all of the above will be facing the usual competition from native Switch stuff like Xenoblade 2, Xillia, Yumia, Dying Light, Athanasy, Carto, Fell Seal, Caravan Sandwitch, Gnosia, Core Keeper, Dead Cells and the first Hammerwatch from the local bundle (freshly picked alongside Coteries of New York which will warm the bench for now), plus quite possibly one or more Castlevania playthroughs from here to Vita. The other platforms retain the odds of more Elex, Xenosaga, Nioh, VLR, Luigi's Mansion and Wolfenstein New Order, too; possibly even some Pokemon Gold/Moon while at it.

This weekend, I’m continuing my playthrough of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE, and I’m now at the outset of Chapter 17. At this point, the game feels like a full-fledged showcase for the graphical and technical leap that Switch 2 represents. The sheer cinematic density of Midgar in handheld form still kind of blows my mind. I’m completely locked in for the full trilogy, with Rebirth already on pre-order.

For a platforming cooldown between RPG sessions, I’ve also been making steady progress through Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, a game I put down a few years ago and have now happily returned to as a perfect place to land between longer story-heavy stretches. I’m really enjoying the balance between the 3D puzzle-adventure overworld and the stage-based 2.5D platforming. The challenge is present from the early going, too, and the game seems keenly aware that players who seek it out are already well acquainted with their Super Marios and Donkey Kong Countries, with instincts and muscle memory to match.

Finally, I’ve been working my way through the Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown demo. I still can’t quite believe Voyager is getting this kind of love after all these years, and it genuinely warms this ’90s kid’s heart. In handheld mode (I can’t imagine trying to parse the menus otherwise), playing the demo feels a bit like holding a tricorder in the palm of your hands. I may have to engage and purchase the full game when it warps onto Switch 2 (I had to) next week.

Have a great weekend, gamers!

After wrapping up Mario Galaxy 2 (Switch 2) last week, I decided to move on the backlog with Quake II 64 via the Quake II Remastered (Switch 2). For whatever reason I wasn't fully jiving with the PC Quake II. I was about to throw in the towel but decided to give the included Quake II 64 version a try and...I'm down with it! I understand it's a unique version specifically made for the N64 at the time but I'm having a great time with it. Should have it done this weekend.

I should also be able to wrap up the last part in documentary in Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection (Switch 2). It was done so good!

Last year, I spent my Valentine's weekend with Samus Aran. Now, this year's Valentine's weekend I'll spend it with Sonic and Fox*.

Yesterday I got CIB copies in very good condition of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Star Fox Adventures. Still have my original save file from Sonic, but Star Fox's I do not.

I haven't played SA2B in almost 20 years, I used to own it but lent my original copy and got lost thanks to a "friend". Played a bit last night and I still think it controls better than any of the recent Sonic games when you're running.

SFAd I haven't played in almost 23 years, but the performance of the Shopkeeper by Steven Brand has lived rent-free in my memory all those years, particulalry the line "Put that down! You don't have enough Scarabs!".

*And yes, that may sound wrong, but I promise it's not for the weird stuff you'd expect from the former's fandom.

@MegaChem I know what I'm talking about. This is sickness of having too much games.
I started at some point playing maximum 2 games in order and I'm dealing way better with that.
That's a reason why so many gamers are in chaos and own 1000 uncompleted games.

This is a good week for me with my first new games of the year! On Switch, I’m playing Mario Tennis Fever. So far, I’m enjoying it more than Aces. I feel like there’s more single player content here. The Adventure is charming, good variety of modes, and there’s plenty to unlock. Sure, idk how long it’ll take me to do everything, but the tennis gameplay is fantastic so I know I’ll play it a lot even after everything has been achieved.

I also got Yakuza 3 Kiwami for PS5, but I’ll mention it here since it’s also released on Switch. I’m loving it so far. The original 3 was a rough one for me because I came to it after Kiwami 2, so I’m enjoying the update. I feel like the beginning hasn’t been as slow. Although, I’ve also spent 4 hours yesterday just messing around in Kamurocho and only barely made it to Okinawa. Got too busy playing minigames to collect decorations for Kiryu’s flip phone lol. Gotta love the many distractions of Yakuza.

Quite the busy weekend. I’m nearly finished with FF7 remake. I’m nearly done with chapter 17. Hoping to have it finished this weekend if I can. Also playing Fire Emblem Path of Radiance and a small amount of Splat Pack: AHH real monsters.

On Xbox, I’m playing Forza Horizon 4 and I just bought High on Life 2

Been re-playing Fallout 3 for three weeks straight, so I need a break. I'm about to start Far Cry Primal. Meanwhile, I'm nearly done with the Mega Man Legacy Collection on Switch. I've never played Mega Man 6 before.

Just to get this off my chest. Please, get an 8Bitdo Pro controller for your side scroller games. The d-pad on these is so much better than the one on the Switch 1 and 2 pro controllers. The positioning too. I have the SN30 Pro+, which (after the Pro2) is the last model to have a membrane d-pad. Choose this one if you prefer the classic feel of the 90's controllers.

Been busy but I did the Pragmata demo on switch 2 and I liked the game a lot. I was already going to by it but the demo made me want the game to come sooner. Lol. I finished Otogirisou(SNES) and it was quite a weird visual novel/sound novel experience at times. For anyone here interested, it’s chunsoft’s first visual novel game technically. For anyone who likes the zero escape series or dangaronpa or anything from that company, then you might want to give that game a try. It has a ton of choices in the game though mind you but it’s interesting all the same.

Metroid prime 4 switch 2 - got pretty far and I am in the mines now. Maybe I will finish it soon

Trails in the sky FC remake switch 2 - did a little of chapter 2. Progress is slow.

Cronos the new dawn(switch 2) - did only a little bit of it. I know I am near the beginning still lol. Tough game for sure.

Final fantasy 7 remake(switch 2) - At chapter 8 now I believe. After the church part.

Happy gaming everyone!

My Switch slate freed up after finishing Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake's post game + true ending (Trust me, the Erdrick trilogy closure is worth it!), so I'm currently playing the delightfully zany WarioWare: Move It! as a palate cleanser. I have one of two JRPGs on deck for when I've had my microgame fill, but I'm not sure which to play first. Tune into next week's WAYPTW for my decision.

In Paper Mario (Wii U VC), I'm partway through chapter 3 and am about to enter the "invincible" Tubba Blubba's castle. You'd think eating Boos wouldn't be possible since they're...well...ghosts, but hey...plot convenience.

Happy gaming!

Going to try Tokyo Scramble. It has poor or no reviews pretty much everywhere

While I took a peek at the ACNH update, it is hard and unusual for me to return to games I’ve already played. Instead, I am enjoying my time with Fantasy Life i, this game promises to be fun, once I get through the tutorials.

Grid Legends is great. Like the NL reviewer wrote, the cutscenes in story mode are cringy, but also funny. After spending so much time on the first Grid game, I am loving all the new tracks.

Grapple Dogs, Rocket League and Hidden Cats are also in my play rotation.

Happy gaming everyone!

@Yalloo I love your explanation on the tracking of games played (I also have a column with my 1-10 rating). And your statement that when I feel satisfied, the game is completed. It is personal, and each person plays their way: I know I had to “get over” a personal small obsession to finish almost every game.

Finally, I completely agree that video games are the most evolved art. Adding together storytelling, sound, music, art, animation and more makes the valid argument that gaming is the height of human expression.

Tonight, I'm seeing the Spearess for Valentine’s Day supper and a little quiet time at home, so I'll just continue with my schedule of alternating between:

Civilization VI (Still on the Trajan/Roman Empire revenge tour. We have a shot at taking Paris, which was somehow overrun by barbarians, and some outlying French cities, but messing with Eleanor is always tricky and can backfire in a big way. We’re pursuing a culture/tourism victory but lost out on the all-important Cristo Redentor wonder, so there may be a pivot.);

Balatro (Hundreds of hours after completing C++, this game still sinks its claws into me two or three times a week.);

Cast n Chill (I think I need seven or so fish to finish up. I’ve finished the log book for almost every fish I’ve caught, so I’m very close to completion, save for a few achievements.).

Hollow Knight: Silksong
I'm still in Act II and I have 2 out of 3 of the song pieces. There are a few areas I haven't finished exploring and a few wishes I haven't granted, so I'm going to be focusing on that. I'm loving this game and it refuses to get old.

Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Riders
As per usual, I'll likely play a few online matches at some point this weekend.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

I’m playing single-player tournaments and trying some challenges in Mario Tennis Fever after I’ve already beaten the adventure mode. I need to do more in Fever before I feel capable enough to play online.

I have more to do in Princess Peach Showtime, but it’ll be another week or two before I beat it and move on. I’m still messing around with combat practice and doing side quests in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. Finally, I’ll try to play more of the final Eggstra Work in Splatoon 3’s Salmon Run and the event in Kirby Air Riders.

Psychonauts - Played it when it first came out, but never finished it. Giving it another go 20 years later. Have been playing for the last 2 weeks and made it to the last level yesterday. Pretty fun platformer with a unique story and humor.

On Nintendo Switch: (total accumulated hours playing)

ME

• Big Brain Academy: Brain vs Brain: (9 hours)
  Playing everyday "ghosts vs ghosts" february online tournament. I am 123 on rankings.
• Picross S+: (10 hours)
  Every night before sleeping, i play 2 or 3 picross puzzles.
• Mario Tennis Aces: (15 hours)
  Slowly playing all characters tournaments on "Star Cup".

3yo DAUGHTER

• Super Mario Wonder: (35 hours)
  Playing online. She is playing a lot. Now she has 2350 hearts.
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: (30 hours)
  Trying hard.

WIFE
Playing Mario Wonder and Mario Kart with my daughter.

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! Here's what I'll be playing this weekend.

Hollow Knight - Been playing the heck out of this game, lol. Just discovered a new area so I'll check it out pretty soon. This game is just so good. Hopefully I'll finally finish it this year so I'll be ready for Silksong.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - It's been a fair while since I played it, since I kept playing Hollow Knight during my free time, lol. Basically getting more stars.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Been a while since I played this one too, so I'll play it for a little bit for some cozy vibes.

And just for fun, I'll also mention a board game...

Ticket to Ride - I'm excited to give this game a try! It came in the mail a couple days ago, and it's been a hot minute since I played board games in general, too. So I'll be playing this with my family this weekend. Also, trains! 🚂

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Be good, and happy gaming!

@Tyranexx Congrats on finishing Dragon Quest II! I still would like to get to DQXI sometime, I just have to be in the mood for RPGs first, lol. Right now, been playing a whole lotta Hollow Knight... that game had me hooked, lol.

At the tail end of a grand play through of the og Final Fantasy! Currently exploring the sunken shrine. People don’t give this game enough love & it’s been a delight!!

@Rykdrew What do you think of Mario Tennis Aces? I tried it a few weeks ago and just couldn't get into the controls. After nearly 20 years with Wii Sports, I'm used to motion.

Hooray for the weekend. I'll be catching more Olympic coverage (still thinking about that French dude landing all his shots in like 14 seconds!) and playing more Naruto: Path of Ninja on DS. Snappy little JRPG. When I first played it at release, I had never read or watched Naruto. Now I've got the whole set and have read it through several times, plus have played a dozen games in the series.

Anyway, we'll probably also do some more Highguard, even if I don't like any of the changes in this latest update. I'll be picking up Mario Tennis Fever physical, but we'll hold off playing it until my brother finishes his exam.

That'll be it for gaming. Reading, I'm about halfway through My Hero Academia and I'll be starting Sullivan's Age of Myth. Looking forward to it.

I started my weekend with getting 100% completion on Doki Doki Literature Club + on PS5 and I am also playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain on the same system. I might play a few other games but I have been pretty happy with my weekend so far!

As always, happy gaming everyone!

Unicorn overlord has been absolutely fantastic. Put a solid effort into it yesterday and pushed further into drakenhold and did a bunch of the side quests for cornia. Once my partner was home from work we played some Mario kart world, and he’s starting to keep up with me and even beats me occasionally which is like a massive accomplishment in gaming for him, and is just lovely to see. Might spend some more time with ball x pit, Scott pilgrim, or Pokemon y on the side. But I also need to snowboard and play some drums in there too. Good luck to us all

@Burning_Spear I'm going to give you my honest and complete opinion on Mario Tennis Aces, for someone who loves Tennis from Switch Sports/Wii Sports (just like you).

In Tennis (Switch Sports), you don't control the character, but you use timing to place the ball in the position you want, with more or less force, more or less diagonally, and with the risk of hitting the ball out of bounds. You need to calculate where and how the ball will be hit to the opponent. That's where 90% of the fun of this game lies. I find it very entertaining.

Mario Tennis Aces is the complete opposite.

You DON'T have control to hit the ball where you want on the court. The angle of the hit is predefined. The game has a different automatic aim for each character. So, for example, if you choose the Mario character and go to hit the ball, all you can do is choose whether the ball will go to the right or to the left, but you can't determine "how much to the right" or "how much to the left". You also can't determine whether the ball will bounce closer to the net or further back on the court, as it's all pre-determined by button (I'll explain).

If you hit with button A: the ball will have a pre-defined behavior and will always bounce the exact same distance on the opponent's court, using that character. The same applies if you hit with the other buttons. There will also be a button to hit close to the net, but the distance and how far to the right or left doesn't depend on your will. It's all pre-determined, scripted. Limited. You only choose right or left. You can charge the racket to make the ball go harder, and you can charge and press a second time at the right moment to return even harder. The rest are the gimmicks we're already used to: specials, which despite the different animations, have the same effect on gameplay for all characters.

No matter how hard you try, the ball won't go out of bounds in Mario Tennis Aces. Only when you do a special shot and intentionally aim out. Any other shot will never, EVER go out of bounds. That risk doesn't exist. It's like playing pong.

For me, who is used to Virtua Tennis and Wii Sports/Switch Sports, Mario Tennis Aces seems extremely simplistic because the game doesn't give me the freedom to hit the ball the way I want, in an analog way, using physics. The directions are predetermined, and this takes away some of the fun, even in a game like Mario Tennis. Nintendo could have mixed both worlds: offering the experience of playing a tennis game with greater control over the ball by the player, mixed with the craziness of the Mario world. Wii Sports Tennis offers much more control, even if you're not controlling your character.

I'm playing Mario Tennis Aces very slowly because it gets boring very quickly.

I had the chance to play Mario Tennis Fever, and it seems more limited than Mario Tennis Aces, with narrower courts and endless rallies. If you disable the special rackets, you'll clearly see how simplistic the "tennis" gameplay is.

For me, Mario Tennis is the weakest of all the "Mario Sports" games. Even though the graphics are attractive, the gameplay gets boring quickly. Mario Tennis - Motion Mode = BIG NO. Terrible.

Switch Sports Tennis is far better.

At the moment juggling between Yoshi's Island, Let's Go Eevee, and Mario Tennis Fever, will likely finish the former today. Mostly in a holding pattern waiting for Death Match Love Comedy.

@Rykdrew I had Aces in my backlog for years. I assumed there was a legitimate motion option, which I suppose there is, but it's only available for certain play options. Otherwise, you characterized what I was feeling perfectly: It just doesn't feel like there's precise control of where the ball is going to go. It's more like turn-based tennis: choose this shot, choose that one, set up for the finishing move. I haven't picked it up in weeks and don't know if I will again. And if you're saying Fever is even more of what I dislike about Aces, then forget that.

neo turf masters. got 13th last night which is my pb placement on any course in the game, on the australia course. hole 3 is perfect for hole in one attempts which Id like to do at least once.

• FF7 Remake: I'm at Chapter 16! Just need to find that Avalanche inside man...
• Silksong: Started a second playthrough and working my way through the Mist to get into the Citadel the other way.
• Splatoon 3: Jumping in and out of this one for some Eggstra Work.

Currently working endgame of Final Fantasy X HD, and it never really clicked how short and sweet the main story actually was. I do like working the sphere grid and taking down superbosses, so I think I may try to knock down Nemesis and the Dark Aeons but value my sanity too much to dodge lightning.

Also playing Ys VIII: Lacrymosa of Dana with my daughter and cackling over surprise dinosaur attacks, which really shouldn't be a surprise at this point. It doesn't take a lot to win me over.

Happy gaming everyone!

I know its not a Switch game, but I couldn't resist Mewgenics. It's such a great McMillen game, I already played 20h of it.

Nioh 3, I adore this game so much. It's open world absolutely works and each time I find a new area I look forward to exploring just as much as I do the combat. Finding the maze like level designs of 1 and 2 while out exploring cemented that I knew I was gonna love this game

I'm also playing MH Stories 1 alongside. The demo for 3 really got me excited to finally get into this series, having had this 1st game in my backlog for years lol. So far you can really tell it's a 3ds game 😂. But it's really fun. Just taking my sweet time completing quests, hatching new mons, and progressing the game

And last, still slowly but surely chugging away at DK Bananza. I feel like im about halfway done but I can't say for sure. This new layer I'm in has a really fun level gimmick tho so I'm enjoying it a lot

@D-Star92 Thanks! I had a lot of fun with DQ II. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying Hollow Knight. As for Ticket To Ride, I own a copy of the board game and quite enjoy it, though I haven't played in awhile. I'm surprised you haven't played it before now, but better late than never! There's also a Europe edition and some expansions to the game out there if I recall.

Rune Factory 3 for the DS, and probably more Spot: The Cool Adventure for the OG Gameboy while I wait for Link's Awakening to arrive in the mail (early birthday present as I share the same date with LoZ)

Playing the nioh 3 demo at the moment and it’s great so far. Other than that I’ll be playing Forza and still need to get back to tears if the kingdom which I somehow never finished.

Happy gaming all!

Btw, if I bought the metal gear vol. 1 collection - I know some games are downloaded - are these games locked to my account? In other words if I buy the card used is there a chance I wont be able to download the games?

I love that the long-awaited MGS 60fps patch came to Switch 2 simultaneously with the delivery of Twin Snakes, which I never played before but dreamed of owning a CIB copy for the last 12 years.
Right now, I restarted playing MGS 2 as God intended!

This week I played:

• Resident Evil 3 Remake (PS4 version): Playing on Nightmare difficulty. Reached the sewers.
• Resident Evil (8) Village (PS5): Daniela & Cassandra defeated. Obtained the Azure Eye in the Special Chambers (the puzzle was easier with the pistol).
• Deception IV Nightmare Princess (PS5): Story (Darkside Princess) Chapter 5 completed. Mission mode: 8 missions completed.
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion (PS5): Ironman reached level 8, Beta Ray Bill reached level 6.
• Megaman Battle Network 2 (MMBN Legacy Collection Vol. 1, Switch): Finished the game. Secret Area completed. Battle Chips: 230/250.

Happy weekend & gaming everyone!!!

It's backlog February! Just rolled credits on Chained Echoes (wonderful RPG), about to finally return to Hollow Knight to get that true ending with the Switch 2 upgrade, and then I'm starting Crisis Core for some FF7 backstory.

I'm playing Sonic Rush Adventure DS and Raji an Ancient Epice.

Just finished Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair which is a great game. Happy gaming everyone

I picked up Mewgenics. Have put in about 10 hours so far and I'm enjoying it so far. Unfortunately my gaming time is still being eaten up mostly by Monster Train 2 for reason completely beyond my control, mainly that I'm addicted. I'm almost done with all of the challenges and I'll be sad when I'm done.

Lots of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, Mario Tennis Fever and Donkey Kong Bananza. Plus some Final Fantasy Tactics and Persona 3 Reload.

@Umbrius You piqued my interest about Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Just read some reviews, and it looks right up my alley—adding it to the wishlist!

Playing Dragon Quest III reimagined. Loving it. Great art style, turn based fighting and enjoying collecting those puzzle pieces. With my boy we are playing Co Op Stardew Valley. Hunting for Walnuts on ginger island. All on switch 2.

@Tyranexx Yeah, I wish I played it earlier too, but yes, better late than never. We played it tonight, and it's a lot of fun! I even went ahead and put on steam train ambiance on YouTube while we were playing. I did see the expansions they made, would love to get them too! I see that Europe one, and I did see they made an old west one, as well. Glad to hear you enjoyed DQII.

First long weekend in a while for me. I'm hoping for some Grand Bazaar and also to try a few of the DS/3DS games I've picked up in recent month. This year (shocking, I know), I have been on a real Lego replay kick. Lego LOTR on 3DS is so worth the cheap cost at my local game store. And obviously...so is Star Wars.

Gravity Guy (Windows Phone) - Haven't picked it up for a few days now.

Equalicious (Windows Phone) - Finally made it past a few puzzles I was stuck on...

Asphalt Overdrive (Windows Phone) - Hasn't worked the last few times I've tried...

@KateGray Congrats on wrapping up Final Fantasy VI! It is a true classic

Not sure how far back into the series you want to look, but if you haven't tried it before, IV is certainly worth a go, as well. It is my own personal favorite from the classic 2D series. Well, aside from the original - but since that was the first one I played, it will always be special to me

IV has a fantastic soundtrack, memorable characters, and is fairly linear and short compared to other games in the series. Definitely one you can wrap up in a weekend or two. Depending on the version you play (I would recommend it on GBA!) there is extra endgame content. The original SNES version is nice, as well, though the official English translation is a little rough.

For something different, are you a phan (sorry...) of the Phantasy Star games? If you've never played them, I would highly recommend Phantasy Star IV. It also has an excellent (and rockin'!) soundtrack and moves at a very brisk pace. The translation is pretty impressive for the era, as well.

It's a bit of a running joke with me, but if anyone ever asks what Final Fantasy to start with, I say IV. Same with Phantasy Star. Same with Ultima...? Sometimes, it just takes until the fourth try to really get it right

@Divide_and_Wander my backlog is also huge. At this point I just try to make sure I finish new games soon after buying them. The backlog will never be finished but I try to knock a few off the list between more recent games.

I've been working through the older Zelda games recently, and I'm now onto Majora's Mask! Only on the second cycle but I think I'm going to like it. Such a unique game mechanic! As someone who likes to go through video games quickly I don't mind being rushed at all.

Other than Umamusume, not much, really. I'm going to be spending time with my fiancée (I proposed earlier today).

@D-Star92 which ticket to ride did you get?
The switch has a decent version that uses your phone to keep your hand of cards and it comes with a handful of maps. Hope you enjoy your board game adventure

Last week I finally started playing Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. I had it in the backlog. I've played for a couple hours, and it really is fun.

Also started Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Never played the original, but i did play Final Fantasy Tactics Advance back in the day and fell in love. It's a really pretty game, but I wish some stuff was explained better. It really makes me miss manuals.

Finally - went back to my playthrough of Root Film. It's a Visual Novel about murders happening. It's fun, and a good way to take a break from the other 2 games.

Also - going to try out the demo for Darwin's Paradox. The trailer has me intrigued, i love unique 2D platformers.

After 2 months of just playing CivVii I'm back on silksong working on the true ending

@AstroTheGamosian wonderful! Congratulations

I gotta say I really hate when the poll results are presented as a %, like this weekend’s WAYP 😆 why is it like this on occasion @NintendoLife? Just curious, sometimes the voting is different too, as in, how many games can be voted for?

Animal crossing switch 2 version finally getting some love all weekend, I set my switch date and time back to when this new version dropped and been time traveling like a galafrian on steroids every few hours, apologized to all my long lost villager friends, killed all the roaches in my house, finally paid off my house loan last stage and now after so many years of playing and doing random stuff have tried to get my ADHD ass into gear to organize a concert.

Also as Valentine's is this weekend played the game of that with my partner, went for a lovely meal last night at the venue we got married 🥳

@Joe11 Love to hear it! Impossible Lair has been a great one to return to.

And if you end up enjoying it, a couple of other games in a similar vein that I’ve really loved (though you may have heard of them already) are Kaze and the Wild Masks and Nikoderiko and the Magical World.

Hope you have a great time with it if you take the plunge!

@rvcolem1 The regular version that takes place in America. I did see recently that they made a Switch version, thanks for telling me about it! Loving this game, too.

I need help! I'm starting to become fused to my couch from sitting in the same spot and playing Vroom in the Night Sky for a week straight without getting up.

Just strated up bakeru so will be putting some time into that. Other then that, ff7 remake and some overwatch with buddies. Happy gaming!

New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe. Made some good progress on this. Also a bit more on Super Mario Galaxy 2. Good times.

Since it was 50% off, I decided to get Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition at long last. Missed it for GCN the first go around, but finally correcting that mishap. In between that I've been playing Contra: Operation Galuga because I felt like shooting ****, and I want to unlock as many perks as I can to make it easier for my gamer partner for when he does run it with me.

@AstroTheGamosian Congratulations on popping the question! Many great wishes for you and your SO for the years ahead.

@D-Star92 Glad you had a great time playing Ticket To Ride! Adding ambience was a nice touch. I'd like to try the Europe board sometime. I'll admit I didn't know about the Wild West board, but that one sounds pretty fun too.

This weekend was FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE's (GBA) 23rd birthday and coincidentally i reached the final mission of the game after spending another 8 hours playing and reaching 61h total doing almost every side quest available too...! I'm going to beat it this week though... No more sidequests!

Apart from that, I made progress with my cousins on MARIO PARTY 2 (N64) during our retro evenings and some progress on THE LAST OF US REMASTERED (PS4) with my gf.

P.S.: I had preordered Mario Tennis Fever and I received it on Thursday, but didn't get the chance to start it yet!

@garfreek I'm on chapter 13 now and loved both the previous ones. The absurdity of chapter 11 was great 😆

After beating VII and Remake I’ve been on a bit of a Final Fantasy kick lately. Currently playing VIII and will probably go through IX again after. Though I’ve also been playing MGS2 and 3 after the Switch 2 patch got them running better so I can finally play them the way they’re supposed to run