Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (8th March)

Hey everyone.
This week I beat the last boss in Rogue Legacy 2 but I'm far from finished.
Also started Cave Story+, loving it so far.
Also went back to Skelethrone in New Game+, it is such a great game.
Ordered some games this week.
I ordered :
Rusty Rabbit
Catmaze
Lost Epic
Ender Magnolia
Nocturnal Collectors Edition
Elpyse Collectors Edition

Also, since cyclone Alfred has hit us we've had trees down, front gate blown off and heaps of debris to clean up.
Now we're meant to get 800mm of rain.

Edit: We've had no power for two days and still no sign of when we will get it back so no gaming for me this weekend.
Stay safe everyone

Might not get much time for gaming this weekend but will play Knack on PS4 and maybe some Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Also Ring Fit Adventure but I count that as working out more than gaming.

Happy gaming everyone.

Fate/EXTELLA LINK – beaten a bunch of Extra Stages.
The Rumble Fish 2 – beaten the game as Viren, after using 8 or 9 continues... Beatrice is an example of SNK Boss Syndrome. I dislike it. Game is hard even on beginner difficulty level. CPU inputs reading there is annoying, but not that perfect like in SVC Chaos. And to make things even "better", game is not always reads your inputs correctly. The game is easier than SVC Chaos, thankfully, but it doesn't make the game that much better. I'm left disappointed.
MVC Collection:
MVC2 – beaten the game as Vega/Gōki/Cammy and Captain Commando/Sakura/SonSon III.
UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II [Sys:Celes] – played VS Mode as Ogre.
Well, for now, it's all what I've played on this week. Have a nice gaming weekend, everyone.

Other than doing the Daily Commissions in Genshin Impact, probably not much. I might be playing some Skyrim at my girlfriend's place tomorrow (I got her into the game, but she needs me help with certain spots).

But I'll be spending all day today in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for an anime convention as a birthday present to myself (I'm turning 32 today). So I really won't have much time to game today (plus, I frankly don't feel comfortable bringing my Switch Lite or my 3DS into the city).

Brutal Doom on my Retroid 5, Star of Providence and Suikoden on my Switch, THPS 1+2 PS5.

New Pokémon Snap: A refreshingly unique (and stunning visually) entry in the long-running series that can be quite addictive. You always want to go back for more Pokémon, or the same in different poses, and it's really cool seeing Pokémon just being Pokémon. It's also really nice that there's a good mix of all generations with none getting obvious priority.

Donkey Kong GB on NSO! World 3 now. I love it. Top tier Gameboy game. Never played it before, but loved Mario Vs. Donkey Kong on Switch, so this is great. I am amazed at how unclunky Mario feels. The animation between worlds showing a new mechanic is good too, very clever. Happy weekend and gaming people.

Still enjoying Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. I might get the last orb today. I will also play a little bit of the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong. Fun little game.

Happy gaming everyone!

Okami HD, Oddworld SoulStorm and Donkey Kong on NSO for me this weekend!

Happy International Women's Day and happy gaming all! 🤘🏻

Pac-Man CE 3DS

Skyward Sword HD with DS3 controller

I really should get back into Dragon Quest III HD-2D and finish it before XCX coming. Collecting orbs, but I simply don’t like it. Also a bit of the new NSO GB games and Rayman Legends in the 3rd world.

This weekend I'm playing the generically named Ultimate Shooting Collection for Wii. I recently learned it is actually a collection of three Milestone shmups: Karous, Radirgy, and Chaos Field.

I bought it for Radirgy, but I find I like the other two more than I thought I would, especially Chaos Field which is essentially a boss rush game and I never enjoy that mode in games. Karous' light RPG elements are neat too.

Microsoft Wordament (Android) - Dailies and Adventure mode as usual.

Halo: Spartan Assault (Windows Phone) - At the end of the road here now.

Microsoft Minesweeper (Windows Phone) - Also nearing the end of this as well.

just beat monkey ball deluxe on my ps2. mania is one of my fav games so it was cool to see where those levels came from.

This week I will be mostly playing

Street Fighter Alpha 2

On the Switch, im taking advantage of the 14 day free NSO trial to show our 5 year old the games that I grew up with. Also hoping to wrap on Lets Go Pikachu with her too. 7 badges down one to go!

Elsewhere, ill probably finish up my Hogwarts Legacy playthrough this weekend on the ROG Ally X, and I'm not sure what ill dive into next.

... Jim forgot my text! xP So here you go gang:

Planing on more steady progress in "FANTASIAN: Neo Dimension", the whole thing feels like a cosy “best of” Final Fantasy VII, VIII and XIX. However, some poor financial choices and ebay searches later I picked up some GameCube / Wii Sonic essentials. Expect some "Sonic Adventure DX Director’s Cut", "Shadow the Hedgehog" (I have a feeling this is not as bad as they told us back in the day) and both "Sonic Riders" and "Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity". Hey, if these two run on the "F-Zero GX" engine, there gotta be something worth playing in them, right?

Game of the week is "Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars". About time these two PS1 gems get wide availability for current gen, these really are quite special to me. While everyone was ignoring 2D games on release, I actually picked and completed the first game. It was like a Super Nintendo JRPG with no ROM memory constrains, which was my idea of perfection. Now if only we could get a "Vandal Hearts" collection next...

Beautiful day ☀☀☀ today so will enjoy the weather probably some time on Mario kart tour

Wife Quest on the Steam Deck. It's quite a bit of fun! Really enjoy Wonder Boy-style action platformers like this.

I just started playing Islets, which is the previous game from the developer of Crypt Custodian. It's pretty enjoyable so far. But I like CC more and can see how far they've come as a developer. If there's time, maybe some Very Very Valet with my family. It's a real underrated Overcooked-like gem that I'm glad I picked up for a couple bucks on sale.

Another weekend here and I’m still playing Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 on the PS5. 250 hours later, I’m wrapping up the game. I’ve obtained every trophy and should get the platinum within the next couple of days — a feat I’ll be very proud of. I know it’s early in the year but this will be in contention for my GOTY, and possibly even decade.

I’m also playing Suikoden 1 & 2 on the Nintendo Switch — a perfect place to play these old-school JRPGs. This is a flagpole series I wasn’t fortunate enough to play when I had my original PlayStation growing up as a kid, despite hearing about it from various social circles. In fact, I remember going to Blockbuster (yeah, I am that old!) and it never being available to rent or buy. I’m glad I get to experience it now. So far, it’s been great.

What am I playing this weekend? Good question!

• Figment 1&2: two short games, that will be a quick win for the backlog 😬
• Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland: I want to start this one doing one level a day, since it's also pretty short.
• Tetris Effect Connected: participating in the weekend ritual and full moon as usual.

Happy Gaming!! ✌🏻🧡🎮

I should be finishing up Xenoblade 3! It's been a great game up through the very end, and I'm getting a little tired of the length lol. Gonna take a break from big RPG's with something smaller next!

Playing some Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit, Bug Fables (for real this time!) and Mario Kart Double Dash!!

+5 Ahab points for the Hot Fuzz reference, Jim Norman

Recently released "Avowed" on PC.

I'm trying to clear some of my backlog on Switch, so am currently playing Steam world Dig. But Bulletstorm keeps clamouring for my attention, so I might play some of that instead.

Also playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure and Sn0 on PC, and a bit of Wii Sports Resort.

My main thing this weekend is the Big Run in Splatoon 3. Otherwise, I'll keep playing my usual Animal Crossing and Dreamlight Valley while still getting used to playing Zelda Tears of the Kingdom again. Just like in the previous game, I really don't like feeling underpowered for half the game...

A quick session of Mario Strikers: Battle League on Nintendo Switch and I've done Softcore and Hardcore difficulty runs of Hayde3 on PC. Will attempt to get Oldschool, Omnia Mea and Catburglar achievements in one run.

I just finished Skyward Sword a few days ago, so now I’ve moved onto Pokémon Violet. I started that game a while ago but I got too busy to play it. I want to play through Violet and Shining Pearl before Z-A comes out.

Then if I want a break from Pokemon, I think I might play Yooka Laylee or TOTK.

Finished Tomb Raider Chronicles earlier on in the week so now I'm on to Angel of Darkness. I am completing the games faster than I thought I would (expected Last Revelation + Chronicles to last until March 20th (XCX) and then Angel of Darkness lasting from like late April to mid May) so I'll need to decide on a different game to play after XCX as at the current rate I'll likely finish Angel of Darkness before March 20th.

Finished portal 2 this morning, loved it. May play co-op with my son at some point (he’s already played it with friends).

Think I might play Civ 6 next. I picked up the full set of expansions on pc for dirt cheap and haven’t played in a while. Just not sure I’m ready for the addiction to kick in again

I've made a fresh start on Ori and the Blind Forest this week, having started it many years ago on Steam. Still a beautiful game and gets me wondering why not a lot has come along since to rival it. I guess the genre just doesn't do big enough numbers to justify the effort, which is sad.

Also working on picking up tickets in Tetris 99, and have a hankering to play some Bowser's Fury, which I'm yet to spend much time with.

Peace, love and pixels to all.

In late 2020 I mainlined the at the time entire Trine series, and by the end of the 4th I was ready to never look at them again! (It also probably gave me a better appreciation for 3 too tbh)
Lo and behold, Trine 5 comes out a few years ago and I can’t bring myself to it. But this week…. Oooh this week I was so ready! It’s the perfect game to balance Fantasian Neo Dimension and I am going to feel so very accomplished once I wrap them both up.

@AstroTheGamosian yoooo!!! I might see you there!!
Do you also go to Midwest Gaming Classic???

Its Big Run Weekend in Splatoon 3. Get yourself some Scales at 3x the rate. Inkblot Art Academy is also a pretty good place to fight the Triumvirate, so you can come in with a good payday.

MARIO KART... 8! insert mario kart 8 theme here

Playing another FFMQ randomizer run.
There was no Yoshi sprite available for it though (as the randomizer offers a bunch of custom made sprites for the player character), so I decided to make my own. I'm pretty proud of it, actually! I think it looks good.

I just beat Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on Ps5, close to the platinum too as I only have a handful of things left like 3 more crewmates, beat amon, donthe minatonsubstories and complete the baseball minigame.

Besides that I started playing Bakeru on my Switch which I’m thoroughly enjoying at the moment.
The plan is to start either Sea of Stars or Star Wars: Jedi Survivor after.

I’m playing FEAR… 2 Project Origin. Obviously not as good as the original but it’s fun enough. Went ahead and got FEAR 3 to see what that one is about. On Switch it’s off and on with Everhood 2. I prefer the vibes of the first but I’m curious where the sequel goes.

I always wanted Donkey Kong '94 to come to NSO because I really wanted to play the Mario vs. Donkey Kong predecessor. It also looked to be very fun! Alas though, I started it this morning and found out it is extremely janky. It feels like there would be a lot of fun to be had if some things were fixed. I'm used to old games having jank, but it is SO hard to play this one with how much I'm clipping through enemies.

Donkey Kong '94 seems to be like a pistachio.
You have to get through the not tasty stuff to get to the good stuff.

I will try to get as far as I can and hope I crack the pistachio shell of DK '94 and have a nice time... (I hope that made sense. I'm hungry now lol.)

Saw the great review score for Sorry We’re Closed and instantly purchased. Been playing since Thursday and enjoying so far. So will be mainly playing that.
The Stone of Madness had a recent QOL patch so going to see if that’s in a better state and crack on with that as well.

Happy gaming all

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Currently chapter 9 of my non-NG+ replay. Hoping to have it finished soon and squeeze a playthrough of Torna before XCX:DE comes out. Pneuma is just so busted lol.

Fire Emblem Three Houses: Third attempt at completing this. I always enjoy my time with it but I either burn myself out from grinding out too many supports or life gets in the way. I wanna play Three Hopes and Engage at somepoint afterwards so I think this will be the time. I'm doing CF and already got Edelgard to C+ support.

Bakeru: Physical edition came in the mail the other day so I'm slowly playing a level here and there in between other games.

Guns, Gore & Cannoli finished, Little Noah almost wrapped up as well (I plan to max out lilliputs/repairs and maybe look into a few remaining achievements but definitely don't see myself touching the 1HKO modes anytime soon - doing Tainted Lost's hard sheet in Isaac was more than enough), Xenoblade X and Yumia successfully preordered and beckoning... but both beckoning from almost a fortnight away. Oh well, there's always the rest of the bottomless hybrid backlog including their respective franchises and even still featuring a fresh dose of Monolith Soft in the form of Baten Kaitos pack. The latter and Kingdom Come Deliverance are the only latest library additions to board Switch storage for now, so the rest of the weekend menu on the console will be dominated by familiar titles like 8Doors, Fuga, Carto, Haven, NMS, Rune Factories, Tales, Bioshock 2, Theatrhythm and perhaps RE0 in a potential combo with RE3R on PS4 and RE2R on the laptop. Add a few more handheld prospects like Death Stranding, Neptunia and Strange Journey on top... "it's not much but it's honest fun", to paraphrase a meme. Okay, not much by my usual Saturday to-play list standards, but still.😅

Final Fantasy xvi
Started playing, I think I'm loving it so far.

I'm enjoying Lilac 0, SF Rush, Main Frames (loving those 90 frames), Moonless Moon, UFO 50, wipeout phantom edition, TOTK, Fitness Boxing, Castlevania the holy relics, Chrono Trigger, Pikmin, Blasteroids, and Kirby and the Forgotten land.
I'm also playing a bunch of fun demos: TMNT tactical takedown, Grit and Valor 1949 (wonderful little strategy game!), Haste broken world (makes me think of Nights, has fun flight/gliding, awesome), Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3, Fumes, Birdigo, and Koira.
Happy gaming everyone
Oh yeah, and Rocket League (always 240fps for me) and BOTW and Tony Hawk 1 plus 2 (those 2 at 60).
Have an awesome weekend everyone!

I'm still hacking away at OOT for 3DS. I finally caught the big fish I was aiming for, and 100%'d the collectables, and finally started the final dungeon. I've really enjoyed this game. If they were to bring out a remaster of this for Switch 2, I'd probably get it.

But I'm taking a break today to try out Donkey Kong '94!

Happy gaming everyone!

Trying to tie up loose ends with other games before focusing all my attention on XCX DE in less than two weeks. So hyped!

Umm, Monster Hunter Wilds. Duh! Doubtful but I pray CAPCOM ports this to Switch 2

Balatro. Soooooo much Balatro. Jimbo's grabbed me by my Jimballs

Not much different than the past two weekends: Tactics Ogre: Reborn continues to hold my interest for now in Ch.IV. I dipped my toes into Y’s X: Nordics, but it remains mostly in the wings for now.
Getting the itch for a run with my third nation in Brigandine: the Legend of Runesia too, but I may srpg out of that first. XD

this week i’ll continue with my adventure in paper mario: TTYD (which i’m ADORING and just got the fifth crystal star😍) someone just surprised me with getting me NSO expansion pack which ive wanted for ages, so im rly excited to jump into that. theres so many n64 and genesis games i want to jump into, but i think im going to play through zelda ocarina of time first since its considered one of the greatest games of all time haha, and ive always wanted to play it. also planning on redeeming a game voucher for mario odyssey, so i can slowly go through it before Switch 2’s 3d mario releases. and im prob gonna play mario kart with family. and ive been itching to return to side order . AHHHHH so many games, and SO little time lol! happy gaming nintendolifians!

On Xbox, Witcher 3.

On Switch, Okami HD.

I just beat Atelier Shallie and I'm in between games atm. Been playing Balatro to tide me over. Beat the game with almost every deck at this point.

I’ll be playing Age of Mythology Immortal Pillars DLC and Battlefront Classic Collection.

When time permits I plan on continuing the campaign in Ace Combat 7 (Switch). The game is really awesome but also challenging at times. Or I could just really suck at it. I've still though only been playing it in short sessions so I'm hoping to get to play a long form session to really immerse myself in it. The story so far isn't blowing up my skirt but the levels so far are a blast. The Top Gun DNA is all over this game.

As I said last week I decided to try to play through again Red Faction Guerrilla Remastered (Switch). I forgot how freaking dope this game is. With my limited gaming time we'll see if I end up playing through it again especially if I'm not going to use any of those game breaking backpacks this time. Also no, I'm not calling it by its intended name "Re-MARS-tered". That's just so cringe to me!

The reality is I've only made any gaming progress lately because of avoiding Snowrunner (Switch). I do miss it so I may boot it up for a little bit but there's always the risk of it just taking over all game time...again...

Seem to have got myself addicted to Monster hunter stories 1+2

Poochy and Yoshi's Wooly World (best Yoshi game imo) and Fire Emblem Blazing Blade.

Series X- Monster Hunter Rise, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Street Fighter 6, and Marvel vs Capcom Collection.
PS5- Metaphor Refantazio and Sonic Generations
Switch- Pokémon Scarlet

Mostly work/study this weekend... I've been playing Fire Emblem: Engage and it's been fun episodically but the dialogue is not great. Which isn't anything I didn't know going in, but the least grating personalities are the spirits from other Fire Emblem games 😅

I'm also playing a bit of Ys VIII: Lachrymosa of Dana which I swear I'll get around to finishing one day, plus a bit of Super Mario Wonder with the kids.

Happy gaming everyone!

It will be between Blasphemous 2 (what a game!) and Control!

Metroidvania weekend

So I’m an adult - well, allegedly, but I definitely have 2 kids and responsibilities and limited time to game - and once a year when you disintegrate an hour of my gaming/sleep time for some arbitrary reason of dubious worth despite most people’s protests, well, I’m gonna have beef. Yes,, it’s time for us misguided Americans to all set our clocks ahead one hour tonight for “daylight savings time.” How I loathe it.

So I’ll have one less hour this weekend to decide whether to keep going in Freedom Wars Remastered. (where I rolled credits but I feel like the game isn’t even half finished) or jump over to my long-awaited copy of Suikoden I & II Remastered. I last played Suikoden 1 back in the mid-90s, and loved it. Meanwhile, Nintendo reunited me with Donkey Kong ’94 this week, another great I haven’t played since the 90s. So yes, I’ll really lament that missing hour.

Wishing everyone time enough to enjoy your favorite games this weekend! 🕹🦧🛢️

Well I will be a little busy this week but I beat Fantasian Neo Dimension a few days ago. Did all side quests too. What a game! 😅. It’s like a bunch of old final fantasy games mixed with a little kingdom hearts and maybe a little Nier automata. 😂 long game but a good one. Tough as nails though. It’s frustratingly difficult at times in the second half of the game. Even had to lower the difficulty to normal on some small parts. It’s also a total grind fest if you are going to do everything on it. This game actually forces you to do new game + to complete everything too. I won’t be doing that. Beating the game and side quests is enough for me 😂

Elsewhere I am playing these:

Card en ciel - beat the third dungeon which was much harder then I thought. This game can be tough to master. Getting a good score too is nearly impossible for me 😂.

Bravely default on 3ds - still stuck on chapter 4 but I am just before another tough boss battle. Maybe I will do that and continue this weekend

Chaos head Noah - I need to pick this game up again. Haven’t played it as much as I should. Still on chapter 2

@Shiryu
I didn’t see you in the Contributors section and I was worried for a moment there! 😅

The Suikoden pack is definitely my purchase of the week, too! I may just drop everything and play it right away.

Have a great weekend!

At work today...when not and have some time, back to some classic Tomb Raider. I've completed AoD and Chronicles on the new collection. I'm not sure I enjoy The Last Revelation's open eneded approach as much as the linear levels, so I went back to TR2 and finally completed the game for the first time (despite first playing it on PS1). Moving onto to TR3 next and really enjoying both remastered collections overall, they've really got me back into the classic games.

My other thought is to try to complete Zelda TotK finally, but I always get side tracked with that game.

I think this weekend I’ll ping pong between Monster Hunter games. Last week I picked up more copies of Monster Hunter Wilds than I care to admit, and it got me thinking about all of the older games in the series. Broke out my PSP and ordered a new battery so I’m ready for Freedom Unite and Portable 3rd in addition to 4, GU, Rise, and World. It’s a shame my Wii U died otherwise 3 Ultimate would be on my list as well.

@Teksette sometimes there are no JRPGs to play and then there is a deluge of them. I still believe I can complete "FANTASIAN" before "Xenoblade X" drops but then there Lunar 1&"2 remaster right around the corner soon after. JRPGS and adulting don't mix well... z_z;

On Xbox:

• Avowed. Finally was able to start this up last night. Only played an hour so not sure where I stand just yet. The combat takes some getting used to though. I had to change to 3rd person for a better view of the world.
• Wwe 2k24 still. My son and I play a few matches every day. After seeing footage and rosters of 25, I don't feel the need buy 25 yet.

On Switch:

• Mario Wonder. Mostly for Mario day I'm playing through before xcx. If I have time I'll probably play a smaller Mario title like 3d land or nsmb 2.
• SK:Specter of Tormet i needed some comfort food gaming coming off DQ3 which I did not like, this is is getting me back on track.
• DK 94, might do a little dabbling in this too.

@batmanbud2 I got about halfway through Poochy and Yoshi's Woolly World but never finished it. But I had already 100-percented it on Wii U. Agreed that it's the best game. No crying baby makes up for what Yoshi's Island does better, in my opinion.

Basically just Monster Hunter Wilds when I'm not otherwise engaged (which will be most of the weekend). I'm still kinda hoping to fit in Avowed sometime before Xenoblade Chronicles X DE, but I don't see it happening.
I'm also trying to decide between continuing my Pokemon Red file on 3DS or buying Pokemon Let's Go Eevee, but have made no headway on the decision-making process.

I've been spending most of my time in Civilization VI, which had been in my backlog for years. So much fun but so much to learn.

I've also been fooling around with Challenge Mode on Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for GBC. I just noticed that, though I beat all the challenges probably 30 years ago, I still haven't beaten the cumulative score challenge, which is going to require achieving supreme scores on most of the levels. Lamenting that this is one of the few GB or GBC cartridges I have left with a working battery. It's holding its charge to remind me of yet another unfinished project.

emergency HQ(switch)- For a free mobile like game this game is awesome!
world of warships-azur lane came back so working on getting some of it.
world of tanks- Ninja turtle event!
elder scrolls IV

@AstroTheGamosian happy birthday! Enjoy your weekend

Definitely Donkey Kong 94 and Mario's Picross, I'm pretty happy they were added to NSO. Animal Crossing for sure, and maybe some shiny hunting in Pokémon Violet. I did the Skeledirge raid last night, which made me think of the other fire starters, so I'm gonna hunt for one I don't have a shiny of yet.

Went back to Rise/Sunbreak as well since I have no way of playing Wilds. Recently found out that the Risen Elder Dragons have an even stronger version where they get new attack patterns and combos. Never noticed that their icons on the quest pages changes slightly, too.

I'm also replaying Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe, made myself a challenge when starting over...to never use copy abilities during bosses...including the arenas. True arena is already a nightmare, so this is going to be even worse. lol

I'm working through Super Mario RPG and Phantasy Star IV. And I'm finishing Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Then I'll be onto FFIX for the first time. Or I'll start Suikoden. Haven't decided yet. As you can see, I'm catching up on JRPGs I missed. Which are many.

I thought I would finish Live A Live last weekend, but the final chapter was like all the other chapters combined and I didn’t finish it until Thursday. Had a good run with Big Run on Splatoon 3 yesterday. Hit the silver target on my first shift, which is likely the best I can achieve with my skill and playing with randos. I continue to plug away at Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Up to 40 vacation homes on the DLC, down to less than 90 DIY/recipes missing, and I have around 30-ish bug/fish models to collect with triples of everything except tuna and stringfish to catch. Danganronpa is the main game I am working on, currently between the 2nd and 3rd trials. Everything about this game (graphics, music, plot, characters, etc.) can be described as “great but something is a little off”. And finally I hopped onto Mario Picross on the NSO last night just before slumber took hold and knocked out half of the easy puzzles. My only gripe is having to decline hints before every puzzle- a QOL update to move that to a options menu would’ve been nice.

More of us playing Unicorn Overlord than I'd have guessed.

Still thoroughly enjoying Guilty Gear Strive. I'll stick with that mostly. While finding matches on steam deck is significantly easier, the group of switch edition "regulars" have made it a joy with having lots of long sets. It's about as close to playing locally as online can get!

I’ve been playing MH Wilds (Xbox) this week, slowly working my way through, only HR4 so far, but hopefully I’ll break into high rank this weekend.

It’s making me want to go back to Rise and finally start Sunbreak, so I cleared some room on the 1TB and started downloading RiseBreak and GenU (both on Switch ) for good measure.

Also cycling through some D2 on Switch, and Diablo 4, Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Ghost Trick on the Steam Deck.

I'm continuing my Sonic marathon with Sonic Frontiers. I've actually made it through a decent portion of the game on my last playthrough, but got distracted because of other game releases and never ended up finishing it. I've been using this pre-Switch 2 period to get around to playing the games that are super high on my priority list. Once that hype train leaves the station, I imagine I'll be quite busy hyping up/playing the big new releases. One of those high priorities is Sonic Frontiers. I'd like to get around to playing Team Sonic Racing if I have time before Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. It'd be nice to finally get around to playing that before CrossWorlds later this year, but that depends on how far I get in Frontiers before Xenoblade. Once that happens, I'm stockpiling on snacks and blankets and bunkering myself in my room! I imagine I'll be committed solely to that until the Switch 2 Direct. Currently, my backlog is going at a much slower pace then it did last year, but I've been making more of a conscience effort to play games I truly want to play, not just because I'm "supposed to" or "owe it to myself", ya 'know? Genuinely, ever since I restarted my whole backlog last year, I've been having much more fun with gaming then I have in a long time. I think having that mentality going into the Switch 2 era is going to make things all the more fulfilling once those games finally roll around. So yeah, looks like more Sonic for me this week, probably next too. After that though...Mira calls me.

Ring Fit Adventure
Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Now this is what I’ve been searching for in gaming. Simple, experimental, and FUN.

Played some Pokémon Stadium 2 last night on NSO with friends and had a lot of fun. Today, I’ll hopefully get some good time in with Okami and I think my wife and I will play some Warioware Get it Together!

I finally got Tears of the Kingdom. I had managed to stay in the dark about pretty much everything. And man is it awesome. I’ve been hanging out in the sky diving around like a crazy person.

The games being played varied by just how many posters there are registered.

Balatro. FF7 chapter 9. Watching Christian Bale Batman trilogy. The mercury is hitting 17c tomorrow in the UK, so a bit of paddle boarding to balance the sofa time.

Mega Man X7 because why not?

I recently got a New 3DS XL from eBay, so I'm currently fully invested in that!

Pokemon Art Academy - great fun on an XL
Phantom Hourglass
999 - playing for the first time and loving it
Pokemon Black - I stopped playing this series after Diamond/Pearl, so this is my first time experiencing it. Great so far!

@JimNorman it's just the one monster, actually

@ScalenePowers Honestly, this is only the second nerdy convention I’ve ever been to (the first being FanExpo Chicago last August). I’ve only ever been to fishing shows, motorcycle shows, and RV shows with my parents before this.

But I did manage to get my Revali statue from First 4 Figures signed by Sean Chiplock, my Xbox 360 copy of Skyrim signed by Keith Silverstein, and I hope to get my copy of Soulcalibur VI and the statue of Sophitia that came with it signed by Erica Lindbeck once she gets back from her break.

Still on Brothership, about to do the third lighthouse.... nothing much to say besides that.

Oh well, happy weekend and God bless!

Almost done with Farmagia really good game.

I'm playing Crystalis

I've been playing Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, I'm currently investigating the Babahlese office again. I'm also still playing The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky on Steam, where I'm about 1/5 through the prologue. Been having technical issues, but I'm going kind of fine now. Last of all, Fire Emblem Heroes has been going smoothly, I'm now progressing with the main story of Book IV a little bit more.

Combination of these:

Switch: Prince of Persia The Lost Crown DLC
PS5: Black Myth Wukong
iPhone: Severed

I beat Final Fantasy: Rebirth and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals last week.

So I'm going to be starting some new games. One is an indie game called the Book Walker, and the other is Sackboy's Big Adventure.

I also think I will start playing the second game in Another Code: Recollection. I beat the first a few days after launch but never got around to the second.

I have been playing Bully for a while but I am now fully on board of picross! Have also tried donkey Kong 94 but don't get where all the praise is coming from as it is still the extremely unplayable gameplay from the early 80s...

@Tyranexx Thanks for the birthday wishes! I got to meet most of the voice actors that I wanted to meet. I got my Xbox 360 copy of Skyrim signed by Keith Silverstein (and impressed him with my impression of his version of Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter), my First 4 Figures statue of Revali signed by Sean Chiplock, and the statue of Sophitia from Soulcalibur VI that came with the Collector’s Edition of the game (plus the game itself) signed by Erica Lindbeck, who voiced her in that game. Unfortunately, Alejandro Saab started feeling under the weather, and by the time he was supposed to come back to his table, I would have been on the train back home. Maybe next time.

@JohnnyMind You were at a convention today, too? What kind? I went to the anime convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was basically my birthday present to myself.

@AmplifyMJ Thank you! For the most part, I did enjoy the convention. Now I get to spend tomorrow with my girlfriend and we'll be having a birthday dinner at a Japanese-themed restaurant with my folks!

Working this weekend. But a few minutes of Majong and Stitch is helping me to relax.

Am I the only one who gets slightly annoyed by people listing half a dozen (and more) games that they say they are playing each and every weekend? Are there really so many people that aren't working, have no other responsibilities or other hobbies? Are they really playing that many games at any given moment? Or maybe it's just me being a bit annoyed by the fact that I don't have more free time than I'd like...

@JohnnyMind Thanks for the birthday wishes! Yeah, the convention I went to was mainly anime, but also video games and cosplay. I couldn’t tell you how many Demon Slayer or Genshin Impact characters I saw! I even saw someone dressed up as Chiyo-chan’s “father” (that yellow cat plushie) from Azumanga Daioh!

But unlike yourself, where it was in your town, mine was a good ways away. I had to take two different train lines to get to and from the con. And the return trip for the one was delayed by half an hour due to freight train interference, resulting in me getting to my connecting station right as the train I was supposed to get on was leaving. I then had to wait almost two hours in a nearby pub until the next train back to my final destination arrived. Ultimately did not get home until 10:30 at night.

Still, despite that snafu at the end, I would not mind going again! Especially since I don’t have to drive in city traffic (which scares me), and the train station where I parked my car has free parking on weekends!

@AstroTheGamosian
Happy belated birthday! I am glad that you enjoyed the convention, and that you were able to get some autographs, too. Regarding the transportation, hopefully the next time you visit a convention everything will go smoothly.

@JohnnyMind
Woah, meeting the great Uematsu-San would be awesome! I hope you will meet him and that you will have a great time.

Suikoden I. It's a magic old-schol jrpg, made the way I like it. It's even better than the new DQ 3, way more mature, the characters and choices to be made are more intense and dramatic. Also many minigames and game-changing varieties. A must go for every jrpg fan!

Primary game currently is Persona 5 Royal. Finished the 3rd palace and summer exams, while also completing as far as I can with quests and exploration in Mementos. The soundtrack always gets rightly praised but the English voice cast is fantastic as well. Ryuji's character and VA has me grinning and laughing consistently!

Last weekend I completed Celeste, which blew me away, an instant top ten all-time game for me, despite never being a big platformer fan. Continued with it this weekend to complete missing strawberries and to work through the post-game content.

Started Afterparty (by Night School, makers of the Oxenfree games). Have seen polarising opinions on this one, but so far, the writing has impressed and really enjoying the opening couple of hours, will see how that progresses.

Didn't get to it this weekend, but early on in the DLC/bonus content for The House in Fata Morgana. The main game had me captivated for around 55 hours, and the early parts of "A Requiem for Innocence" seems to be just as gripping.

Played more of Guilty Gear: Strive as well, completed another run with my favourite character Slayer, completed a few dojo missions, and experimented in training with Testament.

Only other active game is Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Recently completed Ocarina of Time and dove into the follow up immediately after for an hour or so. Will need to give it a proper go soon, but this was not the weekend for it unfortunately!

Well here we go with another wild WAYP. Again missed a week due to spending the weekend with the GF but we got a really good one this week. Again spending time with someone you love beats gaming by far.The week was some good fun games all around. Mostly Trails Through Daybreak, Monster Hunter Wilds, Pirate Yakuza, FFXIV Dawntrail with some Mario and Luigi Brothership as well. Pirate Yakuza may be a GOTY it’s so much fun and I loved it so much. Monster Hunter is fun too it’s easily the most fun I’ve had with a Monster Hunter game by far. Made the GOTY list and can’t wait to share it about to any who wanna hear. Most of the weekend was spent with Split Fiction with the GF. Yes I’ve decided to share the very special experience of a Josef Fares game with someone very special to me. Honestly it didn’t wow me at first but I’m willing to give it a fair shake. Rest of the weekend I’m thinking is gonna be some Trails Through Daybreak as I’m really hoping to beat it and start II. As well as some Pirate Yakuza or Monster Hunter or maybe Death Stranding Directors Cut or maybe even Lost Records Bloom and Rage. Maybe even Disgaea 7 too as I got that as a gift last weekend from the GF too. Otherwise I’m thinking this week is mostly gonna consist of some Trails Through Daybreak, Dawntrail, Mario and Luigi Brothership, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, Pirate Yakuza, Monster Hunter, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and Dynasty Warriors Origins. Try to pick up my preorder of WWE2K25 too. The wrestling thing this week being the WWE Elimination Chamber and WWE2K25. To start with the game first what can I say I’m excited for the BLOODLINE showcase mode and overall excited for a fresh new game. As for Elimination Chamber what is there to say except two words: CENA SUCKS. Anime of the week gotta go to Dragon Ball Daima and Shangri La Frontier and Solo Leveling and Okitsura and Sakamoto Days and 100 Girlfriends. They all continue to be absolute bangers as they keep trucking. Podcasts of this week gotta go to Castle Superbeast, Big Think Dimension, Into The Aether, RPGsites Tetracast, Minnmax, Jeff Gerstmann, Kit and Krysta, Last Stand Media, Easy Allies, Second Wind, Nextlander, Cultaholic Wrestling, Weapon Wheel Podcast and Remap Radio. As always yall stay safe, be awesome to each other. Have a totally magnificent weekend and of course Happy Gaming.

This weekend I played...

XenoCrisis
Abathor
Donkey Kong '94
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

@Vriess Personally, depending on the games, I'll have a main game, usually a big JRPG, then a couple other smaller scale games when taking a break from it. Sometimes though, I can end up with a half-dozen on the go in some capacity, as it is right now.

In terms of available time, I do tend to have a solid amount of free time with my 3 days off work a week. My partner and I have no children so responsibilities are indeed quite minimal with only a small cat requiring much attention! We share the same hobbies, so on many of our days off, it's gaming on the sofa with two TVs on the go, sometimes all weekend!

We've got other hobbies too outside of gaming, mainly sports as big American Football fans in particular, but gaming is definitely the one to which most free time is devoted to. I'll admit we do have a comfortable easy-going existence, know that not everyone is as fortunate and certainly don't take it for granted. I hope you get some time to enjoy relaxing, gaming or otherwise, in the near future