Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 25th)

Patiently waiting for March 03rd in the UK

On PS5 i will be playing Wild Hearts which I'm finding more fun than monster hunter at the moment, but I'm finding it hard to find other players. Also my copy of Octopath Traveler 2 should come today so I'm looking forward to starting that.

On Switch I will be playing some Kirby return to dreamland and Fire Emblem Engage, I've also bought Harvestella which I may start today.

I will also be putting a couple hours into Wind Waker HD, just got the master sword so I should be towards the end.

Pokemon Violet, so me and my 8 year old can play together - parallel playthroughs, but then we can chat about it.

Like everyone has already said the performance is poor but the loop is as addictive as ever. While that ain’t broke, they’ll probably never fix it.

Playing diddy kong racing, paper mario 64, chrono trigger and zelda master quest, all on retroarch via series x!

@Zuljaras nice!

Pkmn Sun & VALORANT

Expecting a little one next month, so my gaming gonna be cut down to almost nothing. Need to invest in all the kiddy friendly games now

Just Like A Dragon Ishin pretty much.

More XC3, just trying to finish off all the quests at this point.

More Wario Land 3 on NSO. Love it.
That game is very long for a little GB colour game!

Latest Switch splurge sponsoring the gaming weekend ambitions is too long to list here, partly courtesy of QubicGames & Co (including stuff like the rest of Bit.Trip lineup besides the earlier procured Runner, Sheep Patrol, Tiny Lands and a 23 cent Golf Club Wasteland - the talks about Nintendo banning ultralow discounts altogether have long proven to be utter covfefe😆) but hardly limited to them. I've finally pulled the trigger on SMT3 Nocturne (I plan to restart SMT1 after wasting several stat points on the protagonist's "magic", so I may get old before I properly binge up to the Switch-available entries) and Wonderful 101, Infinite Combate (I'm not spending multiple comment lines on the full title) and Ancestors Legacy, Very Very Valet and Worms WMD, PvZ Battle for Neighborville and Lego DC Supervillains... at least some of these will surely see carpet roll sessions even as my gamer gluttony also keeps its eyes on the familiar stuff like RF5 and Xenoblade 3 [etc], the variably masochistic advance through Isaac (took me only 80+ tries to beat Ultra Greedier with Blue😎💀) and the new expedition in NMS, a dose more Borderlands 2, FFXII and DerQ, possibly other addressable moods like Pillars of Eternity, Terraria, Little Noah, SR4 and BotW... my Switch library is always a wild card to some extent.😅

Plans and hopes outside Switchland include the variably usual FFXV, KH, Code Vein, HZD and NFS Rivals on PS4; Gravity Rush, Eternia and GTA LCS on Vita; some FFXIII/JC2/Mass Effect/Witcher on the laptop as well as Fantasy Life, FE Echoes, FF Explorers, Endless Frontier and possibly more SMT Strange Journey on 3DS. What's this "moderation" you're talking about, and is it on eShop yet?

Last week I said I was playing through the entire Ys series - I just finished Ys 6 yesterday. Gonna start Oath in Felghana today.

I can't believe I haven't grown tired of it yet after playing through six Ys games in a row. This series is more fun and breezy and playable than I was expecting for such a long-running RPG series.
It's definitely not like Final Fantasy where I feel like I need to take a long break after completing one. Ys is just fun and simple, and I'm having a great time discovering the series.

Octopath Traveler 2 Just started the 3rd character, this priest boy's chapter 1 after having done the prologue for the Thief and the Scholar.

Early impressions towards the game have actually been quite positive, I think the game has a bit more personality than the first game had, maps feel less generic and there's some things of interest even in the overworld areas, I've enjoyed exploring the world, talking to the NPCs and then cleaning everyone off their valuables with the thief character, it's doubly fun when you talk to some orphan girl who's like "I finally got some bread and it's not even moldy!" and then you just pick that off her, we're the good guys after all, we need the bread more than she does.

Though on a more serious note while I enjoy the general vibe of the story I think they're going a bit too far when they're potraying the villainous characters, they're so overtly cruel and irredeemable that it comes of a bit comical for a story that seemingly tries to take itself pretty seriously.

Though I did also enjoy OT1 more at the beginning and it was later when its shortcomings started to become more apparent. Just like OT1 though the soundtrack so far has been fantastic, that's something that I'll never take away from the game.

This week I will be mostly playing

Mario Kart 8DX
Pokémon Shuffle
Mario & Wario

And planning to start one of the following on the GBA SP (I’m open to votes):
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge
Dr Mario & Puzzle League
Final Fantasy 1+2
Mickey’s Magical Quest

Octopath traveller again (the first one). Might take a break from it soon so it doesn’t start to feel stale, but I am still enjoying it. Maybe a bit of gameboy stuff too if I get chance

I also tried the Theatrythm demo and I kind of like it but not sure I like it enough to invest time and cash into it (although I adore ff music in general)

Resident Evil Revelations on Infernal difficulty on my Switch Lite.
Never tried this difficulty level before and it should be different from the 3DS version's Hell difficulty. Should be interesting.

I picked up Tales of Vesperia & Valkyria Chronicles 4 on sale, so i’ll be checking those out.

Humanity demo on Ps5 (which I enjoyed) and maybe some Minish cap on Switch. Not too much as I haven't been in a gaming mood these past few weeks which I think boils down to having a good few shows to watch and also getting into manga at age 27. That's ontop of just being more busy than usual.
Also it feels like gaming wise what I really wanna play is Zelda, Silksong, Armoured Core and Tekken 8. Everything else is just feeling like filler currently.

Playing Theatrhythm Final Bar Line on the Switch and Like a Dragon Kiwami Ishin on the Ps5. Not much else this weekend. I do thoroughly enjoy both.

Playing and completing the new NMS update has got me back into exploring the stars, what a game!

This weekend I’m playing Like a Dragon: Ishin (PS5). I’ve always preferred this franchise over GTA, with Y0 being my most adored. I didn’t know what to actually expect from this latest remake/spinoff. I wasn’t entirely sold on the setting with the initial trailers and announcements leading up to its release; however, after putting in several hours already, I can say that if it keeps up this pace it’ll easily sit alongside Yakuza 0 as my favorite in this long running series.

I feel as if this franchise is one of the rare series of games that are consistently good, and can somehow intricately balance intense moments that fill you with adrenaline and heartfelt emotions, to humor and downright hilarity — and sometimes both all at once. One instance would be having a serious talk in a bathhouse, and subsequently fighting a certain individual bare naked.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the writers and sub-story designers should be creating the side content for Marvel’s Spider-Man for PlayStation because their quirkiness and tone is essentially dad humor that molds right into Spider-Man personality and lightheartedness.

One thing I love about this franchise, and with this game particularly, is how it’s directed. There are some beautiful shots throughout the cutscenes and even in the moment-to-moment gameplay and dialogue between characters. It’s such a prominent staple in the Yakuza game, but more-so here because it makes you feel present with how it presents being a samurai in a western setting.

I also purchased Octopath Traveler 2 (Nintendo Switch). It’s rare when I buy a physical copy of a game these days — I prefer digital, but I own the first game physically and the artwork is superb. I’ve played an hour of it; I chose Hikari as my starter, and it’s great so far. I thoroughly loved the combat in the first game but found the story convoluted and overall repetitive. Hopefully, this one will remedy those two concerns, and from what I’ve read in several reviews, the characters are much better written than the previous installment.

To busy playing MHR Sunbreak. Doing anomaly quest grinding right now to fill that checklist mark.

I should finish Bayonetta 3 this weekend and if so I will start Return to Monkey Island.

A Space for the Unbound
SEASON: A letter to the future

New Metroid and Kirby. A great pair if I do say so myself

After the absolute disappointment which was Digimon world order (before you get mad I bought it prior to reviews but nonetheless I especially agree with NL's review) I am playing Monster rancher 1+2 DX which is a far superior game (and so addictive) I've loved every single one of my li'l goofballs, I've gotten so more attached to my monsters than any Pokemon game in recent memory. Managed to get to A rank with one I called Goldie (I wish I knew how to add pictures to show you guys, he was such a weird looking thing, but he was MY weirdo. Only played the first game in the pack so far and it's already great.
I keep saying I'm gonna play something else on the side, but I just cannot put this game down, but if that changes I'll edit my comment, prolly not gonna happen though.

I bought Theathrythm on a whim because I enjoyed the demo so much, and I haven't been able to put it down. I have no affinity with FF (only played trough X) but the music is so good and the gameplay loop so addicting. It's a case of 'just another song' and before you know it you've lost hours.

Because I enjoy this little rhythm game so much I started Hi-Fi Rush on the Xbox as well. Still in the early stages, but it looks amazing.

I bought Ni No Kuni II in the sale as well. I loved everything about the first one except the absolutely dreadful combat, which this entry seems to have fixed, even if it's a bit button mash-y (i don't really mind that personally).

Octopath II is really winking at me too. I don't know how long I'll resist, but I have my fair share of RPG's in backlog. Tough times for spoilt gamers!

@SJW congratulations! I hope all goes well. 😊

Sakuna: rice and ruin is becoming a real fun game. Only a few hours into it, I am starting to figure things out. I love the dialogue between characters.

Happy gaming everyone!

Have splurged on a lot of games over the last few months to help get through Challenging Times. Nothing has clicked in a good while but had whatever you call those early hours I-Love-This-Game epiphanies with Death's Door and The Messenger last week, so will be throwing myself into them both while waiting for all of reality to completely reconfigure itself.

I'm playing through Resident Evil: Village on hardcore in PSVR2, all assists turned off, while standing. It takes the game to a whole new level when you have to manually eject the magazine, grab another from a pouch at your waist, slap it in and then pull the slide back to chamber a round just to reload. Shotgun rounds are loaded one shell at a time, the pump-action used physically between each shell fired. It's intense, and one hell of a way to gain your vr legs, bombing around a mansion while standing still.

Was waiting for the physical copy of Metroid Prime Remastered to arrive, now that I have it I'm going through that. Will also be playing a lot of Like a Dragon: Ishin and finishing up Wanted: Dead.

This weekend will see plenty of Pokemon Go due to the Hoenn Tour that will be taking place. When I’m not busy with that, I plan on playing Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the first time.

@SleepyAnimal I really hope life starts looking up for you. I've been self-medicating with games since I was a child, so I know what it's like, and I know not being into a good game just gives you so much time to think about things you'd rather not. I don't know what's going on, but once you've hit rock bottom, the only way is up from here on out. We don't know eachother, but from a rando on the internet, I wish you all the best, hang in there

Octopath 2. Didnt expect it to be this good!
Love it. One lf my favorite games already.

Fire Emblem Engage for the most part on the Switch.

Mostly continuing on with Metroid Prime. By glancing at a guide I think I'm probably about halfway through now. Really enjoying it so far.

Also starting to think about making sure I have everything I want before the eShop shutdowns. On Wii U I think it's only Wind Waker HD I want. I'm not a huge Zelda fan - the only game I enjoyed was BoTW - but this one does seem to be very well loved. When I picked up the Wii U (for Xenoblade X) I nearly bought a physical copy of WW. Was going for £20 new at the time but now I see the prices have shot up. So, I will need to make a call on that digital purchase soon.

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge. Hoping to finish it before Fatal Frame drops!

Onigokko on my laptop and Ion Fury on my Switch. Finished the base game for The House in Fata Morgana. Just taking a break before I read through Requiem for Innocence.

It’s a busy weekend for me so I’ll just say briefly I’m enjoying Fire Emblem Engage - its characters and vague goofiness has been entertaining for me and the kiddos, when they’re watching - and also I’m dipping in and out of Astro Aqua Kitty for some relaxed shoot’em up exploration.

I was bummed to hear the news last night that world-famous manga artist Leiji Matsumoto passed away earlier this month. He’s off to sail the sea of stars… 😢
I’ll have to re-read some Galaxy Express 999, or watch some Space Cruiser Yamato or Captain Harlock in his honor.

Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. Yes, the OG FE English translated on Switch. Finally got around to playing it years after I purchased the boxed set. It's old, archaic, clunky, and still manages to be fun. Been a fan of this series since the GBA era, so naturally I would play the humble beginnings of it all.

More Theaterhythm as usual. I’ve also been making slow progress on Rain World, a game that absolutely demands patience. It’s really good and I want to get to grips with it before the Downpour DLC drops.

My Switch is getting a bit of a vacation while I work on Hogwarts Legacy.

Doing another playthrough of Pokemon Crystal. I'm at the ice cave after catching Suicune.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Still waiting on my copy of Metroid Prime Remastered that is on its way from Nintendo. Probably affected by the ice storms we’ve had here in the US.

The last couple nights I’ve been playing an iOS game called “Bossgame”, that a former coworker of mine made recently. It is quite polished and the touch screen controls are really well done. The way the battles work is pretty clever. It compares the battles to “old Action RPG” battles. However, I tend to not like RPG battle systems, but I am enjoying the battles in BossGame!

I may also check out Katamari Demacy again since it is on the game trial and on sale ridiculously cheap. I tried the demo years ago and didn’t like it, but it is worth another shot.

@Nanami_Ataraxi Thank you. A very kind message to send a stranger, and very much appreciated. Hope you're in a good place too, and I will be soon enough. Enjoy your weekend! 😁🙏

Hollow Knight. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… an absolute masterpiece.

Metroid dread x haven’t played since it came out. It’s entertaining bit feels a bit well bitty, crisscrossing each section xx makes me long for prime where u feel immersed x will get physical in uk soon xx

Headset arrived on wednesday so dropped all other games to dive into it:

PSVR2
Horizon: Call of the Mountain
We always knew this would be a tech marvel but what about the rest? Im a big VR nut, so im spending lots of time going off path to interact with objects and drool about vistas. I usually dislike VR platforming, but this title does a great job at giving you new tools and challenges to keep it intresting, plus stealth while climbing is well suspenseful. Combat aint bad, it does a solid job of bringing series style to first person...although i miss the melee follow ups. The main character and plot are dull, but all the rest is incrediable...its 8/10 material for me so far.

Gran Turismo 7
Never played this series nor really got into racing titles (asides Mario Kart)...but in VR? Just wow. So addictive. Cars handle great, theres so much customisation and things to do, im hooked. Its amazing how appealing a title i wouldnt look twice at, is so much fun in VR.

Resident Evil Village
Just started it the other night. This isnt some rushed port, Capcom have done a baffiling good job at bringing motion controls to this, and all for no extra cost...and holy crap, the haptics from shooting the shotgun! It plays great so far but am going to pause until finishing Horizon, then give this my full time.

My wife, daughter, and I have been completely sucked into Disney Dreamlight Valley this week. I kicked off the weekend playing a few rounds of Fortnite, Among Us, and Splatoon 3 with my son. Been spending more time in NSO Gameboy on old school Tetris and peeked in for a couple Tera Raid battles on Pokémon Violet to pick up that mighty mark Pikachu. On my own, it’s more Slay The Spire. Don’t know that I can drop the $ on Octopath 2 yet (LOVED the 1st one), but I might pick up some bargain basement games in the eShop. Co-op crawling on Dark Dungeon Warrior for under $6 is appealing.

Metroid Prime Remastered.

I don't like this vote method about what I'll play during the weekend. I'll play 3 games if not more and a can vote only for 1

While waiting for Metroid Prime physical to come in, I finally opened up my copy of Sonic Frontiers to play while I waited. I’ve been having a blast! I haven’t played a 3D Sonic since the GameCube, so it’s just been fun zooming around rail grinding and doing stupid crap. It definitely is trying to be a BOTW wannabe but has its own charm. I’d give it a 8.5/10 right now. Totally worth the $30 I spent for it on Black Friday. Haven’t even opened MP yet and it came on launch day too. lol

I really need to beat Hollow Knight but I'm stuck in the endgame/final boss. I'll probably be playing a lot of Pokemon Go with Hoenn Tour/Primal raids this weekend

Yo-Kai Watch 3.

Just finished Fire Emblem Engage yesterday, so I will continue on my quest to beat Metroid Prime Remastered. I also play WarioWare Inc for the gba (switch online) on the side, because it’s the most wacky game collection, and it’s sheer stupidity never fails to put a big goofy smile on my face. Waiting until Pokémon Presents to see if the retro Pokémon games are coming, and until the new splatoon 3 update arrives March 1st.

Metroid Prime: Remastered for me. Goddam I loved this game back on the Cube and Wii. This version is just amazing. Also I am 15hrs into Bubble Bobble, just addicted to the thing. SO playable and the depth of the power-ups is pretty sweet. Even after all this time spent playing, it'll throw in a new power-up variant. Amazing, I never realized how varied it is and how strategic it can be. Only took like 40yrs to appreciate its nuances. Edit: I nearly got my first 1,000,000 score, just came up short on it.

My PSVR2 headset arrived this week and I’ve tried out some of that. (It’s amazing) My error priced code for Octopath 2 also came out (I paid $28 on humble bundle) and I’m trying to finish Kirby Planet Robobot.

I am now 60 hours into Persona 5 Royal and I'm just about to start the 5th palace. I'm going to try and make some progress there.

I've also hopped back into Final Fantasy 14 for a little. I'm about 22 hours into ARR and I gotta say... outside of a few cool moments...it's still overall kind of boring 😅

@ThorsHammer I got my PSVR 2 as well this week. Village is even better than RE7 in VR so far.

Im loving Horizon even though my arms kinda get tired during combat. I love the up close details — even just seeing Aloy up close is impressive.

I bought a cheap $25 copy of GT7 but then they canceled my order so I haven’t gotten that any other way yet. Im excited to try that later on. Instead I picked up What the Bat? Since I loved their first game on Apple Arcade so much

Hollow Knight and Just Shapes and Beats on Switch, and Goldeneye 007 and Sonic Adventure DX with Knuckles’s story on Xbox.

This week, I finished my homework* since Wednesday, so I can game all I want outside chores at home.
Anyway, what I'm playing this weekend is going to be my Wii U Virtual Console purchases of this week:
Mega Man 2-7: I have had Mega Man 1 on my Wii U since 2014, but I never got any of the other games in the original series. This week I got them and I'm playing them in order. I also plan to get Mega Man & Bass (GBA version).
Ever since I played The Wily Wars on the SEGA Genesis NSO app, I realized I actually liked the classic Mega Man series. And since then, I have gotten Mega Man Battle & Fighters, the arcade games on Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium and now the entire series up to 7. 8, 9, 10 and 11 will be played on the Switch via Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 and Mega Man 11.

Donkey Kong Country trilogy: Why am I getting this series when the eShop is about to close?

Other than that, I'm finishing Super Mario World, also on the WiiUVC, I'm in the Special World and thankfully I got past the unforgiving Tubular level. Fun fact: in Japan the level is called Otanoshimi Course 2, which can be translated as Fun Course 2, the irony is astonishing.

Not a ton of gaming this past week, so I'll somewhat make up for it this weekend. I'm still working through Dragon Quest VII (20 hours in, just finally wrapped up the Faraday scenario ) and am playing Super Mario Sunshine on the side (15 Shines). The latter is fun, though the non-FLUDD sections are more difficult than I figured they'd be. In the non-Nintendo sector, I might finally try the SteamWorld Build demo via Steam.

Finally it appears that Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre are both in raids in Pokemon Go this weekend, so I may try to participate in a few of those if I get the chance.

Happy gaming!

Mostly chained echoes and gta v. But also some gb games.

For singleplayer, I will unfortunately not be playing Metroid Prime Remastered, as it is sold out everywhere, but I will be Kirby’s Return to DreamLand Deluxe for the first time, so that should be fun. I will also be playing more of the GTA V story mode, as well as a bit of GTA III on my Switch when I want a break from Kirby.

For multiplayer I will be playing GTA V Online, Fortnite, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and whatever else my friends and I decide to play.

@SJW very exciting! Hope all goes well with the new child. One of the first games my son loved was Pikmin3 and Super Mario 3D World, on the Wii U! He could beat Pikmin 3 from a very young age, and he picked it up just by watching me play it!

I'll be focusing on Star Wars games this weekend.

I have been hooked on Theatreryrhm Final Bar. I got octopath Traveller 2, but have not touched it. Still playing Persona 3 Portsble, but I am still at the end of Persona 5 Royal and I need to finish that up. But man Theatrerythm rocks, and it’s the best one in the series. Happy gaming guys.

@Zuljaras
Been pretty blown away by the RE Remakes. The new trailer for RE4 REMAKE this week blew my mind! Also, I am in the same boat; my copy of METROID PRIME: REMASTERED is stuck in a UPS truck that is delayed by all the snow happening here in the States.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memories on Switch is my current game.

On the Switch, my time will be divided between Metroid Prime Remastered, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, and Splatoon 3. I'm honestly not sure if I'll have time for anything else between those three games, but if I do, I should really get back to The Quarry on PS5.

I'm nearing the end of Death's Door, but I've noticed a bunch of secret areas and I can't find a way to access them, so I'm guessing I'll have post-game content to keep me going for a while longer. It's been excellent, albeit mechanically uninventive. Zelda-esque, but with more of a challenge.

Jetpack Joyride (Windows Phone) - Always playing in bursts nowadays.

Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition (Windows Phone) - Finally almost completed the entire game.

Hitman GO (Windows Phone) - This is technically my first intro to this franchise, but I'm really enjoying this puzzle game!

@Zuljaras
Especially after how perfect the RE2 Remake was. I think 4 will live up to the hype. It looks like the full game/story beats will be there.

Kemco's the king, something or other, the heiress. Old school rpg. So far so good.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe.

Blaster Master Zero. I'm pretty blown away by how much I am enjoying it. There's a physical release on PA with all three of the games on it, but I'll need to wait a few weeks for that.
Besides that, Shovel Knight Dig. Just a great feeling, gorgeous game. I wish I was better at Pocket Dungeon. I've always had an issue with eating hits when I attack, and there's no avoiding it in PD. BUT! Dig is incredible.
I'm also about halfway through Prime. The nostalgia is hitting hard, so I am taking my time. Loving every bit of it.
Hope everyone has a great weekend, if you get one.

@SleepyAnimal God I l9ve The Messenger. Wish I had snagged a cart.

Continuing my campaign with Astral Chain... So mad I never played this before now.

Working on Felix the Reaper. Surprisingly good puzzle game. Also has lots of tidbits on how the personification of Death has evolved in the West.

I think I’ll just focus on No Man’s Sky and Pokémon Arceus for this weekend. Both games have some pretty great value to them.

Pokemon Scarlet for the Pikachu raid! Seems like there's a new 7-star Tera raid going on every other week to keep me logging back in.

Pokemon Legends is also calling my name, since I put off beating the game properly all this time. Really loving the difference in gameplay going back and forth between Scarlet and Legends. I really enjoy the survivalist bent in Legends, collecting resources, crafting your own items and gear. Reminds me of the old days of Monster Hunter, before 5th gen streamlined the resource gathering so much.

Also enjoying Animal Crossing! I still have just unlocked post-game since I've been working through beating the game on the second island, so now I can finally dip into the expansion.

Then of course I am trying out all the demo's released lately, like Octopath II, Kirby, etc. Fun games! And the music on Octopath is incredible! I'll have to get that one, even if I don't end up buying Kirby. Return to Dreamland feels like a solid game though, from the demo experience. HAL is really knocking it out of the park lately, since both Forgotten Land and Return to Dreamland have a ton of polish, which is great to see.

I'm about two thirds of the way through Far: Changing Tides, and I've been playing loads of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. Oh and Marvel Snap of course, I'm still addicted 🫣

Me

Only on Steam:

Dragonball FighterZ: online ranked fightings.
Tekken 7: as usual, ranked fightings.
Mortal Kombat 11: story mode

My wife:

On Switch:

Binding of Isaac Repentance: she loves this game (600+ hours)

Metroid Prime: Finally got my copy and will be playing this for the first time in fifteen years. It's going to be great to go behind the visor once more.

I'm trying to stick to finishing at least one game a month this year, so I have a few days left to finish Triangle Strategy. I'm currently on chapter 15 so I'll have to move quickly but I think I can do it if I buckle down!

@Wheatly Playing as a Drow Bard. Usually do a quest or two, then have to take care of the little one, but when the story really starts getting interesting that’s when little one wakes up and have to pause and tend to her.

@AmplifyMJ thanks. I’m going to keep the switch for her, won’t sell it. So if she takes to gaming it can be her first console/hand held.