Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 4th)

Final chapter of Xenoblade 3! I was going to go for a 100% run but at 125 hours so far I think I've come to the conclusion that if I want to play the games in my backlog like Kirby, Engage and Minish Cap before Zelda I just gotta finish it and leave some of the remaining side stuff behind. Perhaps I'll go back to them when the DLC drops.
I've hurt my shoulder so no Ringfit or fitness boxing for me this weekend. Guess I'll do some walks instead for exercise.
There's the Big Run event in Splatoon but my usual go to buddy for these events isn't free this weekend for it so I guess I'll just dabble in it this time.

Well as it was March 03rd yesterday and being in the UK I got a pre order delivery. Very happy gamer.

I played Dragon Quest Builders PS4. 🙂

I have reached Chapter 2, still rebuilt my shelter.

@Zuljaras kick ass drawing man!
I too would love to go back and dabble in Elden Ring but where the hell would I fit the time in? 😅

Metroid Prime!!! It's in my hands now! I can touch its glory! (Doesn't smell as good as I hoped though)
Ahem, I'll be diving into it for the first time, and I have successfully canceled all my plans for the occasion, hooray!

And, of course, I guess I'll defend Inkblot in Splatoon 3 if I can detach myself from Metroid for a few consecutive seconds. I mostly played it this morning though, and my Big Run high score is 144. It BETTER be enough for the top 5% this time around!

Also, a message to my fellow members of the Nlife Salmon Run Union:

Horrorboros' weak point is the bomb ball it holds with its mouth. If you can explode it with eggs or weapons before it shoots it, you can deal a TON of damage, sort of like a Steelhead, it's really important, I couldn't defeat it otherwise. You're welcome

Have a primed day!

@Nf157 I've worked backwards on the XC games since 3 released. Part way through XC1 to finish off. Like you, trying to clear the decks before TOTK.

@GreenTea The taste of the cartridges haven't improved either 😀

@Duncanballs I've played through the 3ds version of 1 and it's an excellent game too. Not sure which of the two Xenos I've played are better, I think I'd give 3 for gameplay but 1 for story maybe. Haven't started 2 yet though, I think I'll need a break from the series as I've been playing then more or less back to back since June of last year 😅
Also good luck on your goal to 'clear the decks' for Zelda. We got this! Two months to go!

Continuing a solo level 1 Wretch playthrough of Elden Ring. I’m at the last boss. It’s been fun and surprisingly manageable.

Fire emblem engage during breaks.

@Zuljaras I know the feeling. In many cases its like it just opens up and the true 'gaming experience' begins.
I can't remember the last time I did what I was suppose to in Skyrim 😅
And with the From Soft games I just end up feeling more confident on the second playthrough, I'll mess about more and see how much faster/better I've become at playing them.

I have played a lot with my steam deck (Cyberpunk 2077). I will play octopath traveler 2 on my switch; however, I will also get it on steam.

Two words: Big Run

Switch is a given every week, so there's no way its birthday week would be an exception. While the other platforms remain on the table as well, from Endless Frontier, EOU and Fantasy Life to FFXIII and Witcher to Liberty City Stories and Virtue's Last Reward to FFXV, KH and even MotorStorm Apocalypse (on my home 50 Mbps, Sony's streaming has been a welcome surprise so far - did they finally learn second world optimization at least somewhere?)... but my Switch appetites are festively bloated even by the usual standards. Xenoblade trio, NMS and RF5, Saints Row 4 and Borderlands 2, PvZ Neighborville and Infinite Combate, Mary Skelter and DerQ, Fuga and TWEWY, FFXII and Dying Light, Mudrunner and Cris Tales, TMS and Bioshock 2, roguelites galore (I'm FINALLY through with Greedier mode in Isaac but there are still plenty more masochistic unlocks I'm determined to tick off the list before I ever upgrade to Repentance and have to get used to the many rebalanced things anew), potentially AC2 and Starlink... I might even already dump my gold point stash into Ghostbusters, Salt & Sanctuary and King's Bounty 2 since I'm set on acquiring all three of them over the next few days anyway. As one may suspect, there's no telling how much of this I'll be able to cover in practice, but it's guaranteed to be fun. And so are any further time I'll have to spend with this console after.

Thanks for making me act unwise and letting me afford greedy unrealistic gaming plans in the first place, more and more thereof over these six years and counting. Happy birthday, Switch!

I am playing some Pokémon Violet to do some shiny hunting and Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition to try and climb up the ranked ladder. My friend is coming round tomorrow with their steam deck so looking forward to seeing what that console is like!

I finally did it! I finally pulled Disney Dreamlight Valley out of my backlog with all the Nlife articles reminding me that I should play it, and I'm absolutely hooked. I pre-ordered Void terrarium 2 too late because I didn't realise it had a physical so that is late to turn up, but if it does I might fire that up and play through it before returning to the valley, because this is one of those long commitment games like AC and my backlog will be sad.

On the co-op front me and the other half are now slowly progressing through lego Jurassic world and having a lot of fun (well I am he isn't) with the Super monkey ball banana mania minigames for an hour before bed each night.

Have a nice weekend all!

I finally finished RF4 Special! I love that game so much, but I was at 90 hours and I couldn’t take a second more. My cousin bought the Pokémon Sw/Sh DLC for me, so I’ve been enjoying running around the Isle of Armor. I don’t have the fondest memories of Shield, so I’ve been really surprised by how fun the DLC is.

After I finish the DLC I’ll finally be able to start Metroid Prime Remastered, and then I’ll be free to play Torna.
Believe it or not, I have about five other games, one being botw, that I have after that. I played botw on Wii U, but I’m excited to play it on Switch before TotK.😅

@Duncanballs 6 years, and the cartridges STILL taste bad. Corporate greed at its finest!

In preparation for the hugely anticipated Return to Castlevania DLC, I’m playing Dead Cells and nothing else!

I'm trying to start and complete one game per month this year, January was Neir Automata, February was Gunborg and March is Metroid Prime Remaster.

I started it last night and it's fantastic, I have the missile launcher. The graphics are as good as I hoped!!

Metroid Prime Remastered. It's absolutely incredible. (Nier Automata is giving me some dirty looks right now. Will I ever manage to sit down and play it lol.)

Splatoon 3 for Big Run and continuing with Metroid Prime Remastered. I think Inkblot Art Academy may be the first map in Splatoon history where the glowflies wave is actually fun.

Getting stuck into Metroid Prime Remastered and I'm getting near to finishing off Kirby.

When I’m back from the gym I’ll be playing Metroid prime remaster, i was so young the last time I played it, other then that some Mario kart online races and hogwarts legacy and dead space on ps5

This week I will be mostly playing

Mario & Wario
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge
Pokémon Shuffle

Hollow Knight! Still Hollow Knight… this is my second ever play through. Top tier gaming, I’ve just got the King’s Brand, not sure where to go next? It’s been a while since I played it 😅 I just keep looking at the maps for potential secrets and unexplored areas… this game is overflowing with them. Have a nice weekend everyone.

Warframe AND Fire Emblem. Trying to juggle those two is nigh on impossible.
I’m so scared of taking a break from Warframe and forgetting what I was doing, so it keeps pulling me back!
That game alone has created a huge backlog of games that is just getting bigger 🤣

Some splatoon 3 this morning for the big run. Not played much in a few weeks so enjoyed a good bit of splatting, might do a bit of regular turf war if I have time.

And plodding in with Octopath (the first one), doing all the chapter twos.

Also played Kirby’s dreamland on the gameboy service for a bit of nostalgia. I think it might have been the first game I bought with my own money from a secondhand game shop. A short but sweet play through, perfect given my backlog!

I'll be trying to finish up the Splatoon 3 single player, as I believe I'm right before the final boss. Also, some more Kirby: Return to Dreamland Deluxe with my wife and daughter, which we're all having a blast with.

I completed Metroid Prime yesterday after some very nostalgic thirty-odd hours. I missed some missiles and one particularly troublesome energy tank, but I did copy my save before completion, so perhaps I'll dip back in.

For now, though, my focus is squarely on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and great googly moogly, there are a ton of kyber bricks. The class system is an interesting wrinkle, the worlds are gorgeous, and there's that classic tongue-in-cheek Lego humour. It's been great fun traipsing through Naboo once more (yes I do the episodes in chronological order, whether playing or watching; it's the way George Lucas intended they be done, after all).

Picked up Senran Kagura Peach Ball and Gun Gun Pixies on sale ❤️

Sakuna: rice and ruin. So far: a great game.

Happy gaming everyone!

Octopath 2 and zelda Botw again.

Man octopath2 is seriously one of the best rpgs in a longggg time.
The magick they have done with those sprites, the sound effects, the battle system l, music and the story is amazing!

Beat Like a Dragon Kiwami Ishin on PS5 2 days ago and I’m almost done with Theatrhythm Final Bar Line on the Switch
After that I’ll start Hogwarts Legacy on ps5 and Metroid Prime Remastered on the switch.

Nothing on Xbox Series X this week.

@Zuljaras how does elden ring look and play on ps4? Wouldn't mind picking it up myself

@Zuljaras cool, thanks for that. I've got access to both a base and a pro. Hell, I love my switch and the mountain of games ive picked up, so 30 fps isn't an issue 😄

Mostly just Octopath Traveler 2 still, I think I'm around 25 hours in and I've just been haphazardly exploring and doing the character chapters I've come across in a wildly random order, I just recruited the final character, the merchant.

Just like OT1 I feel like the main battle system with the break system isn't particularly great especially for boss battles, I feel like the bigger damage oughta be reward enough, it's just way too easy to completely nullify the bosses, I've never really been too huge for this sort of removing enemy turns systems, just feels like it kind of dummies it down, similarly just by its open ended design large portions of the game you're going to be playing completely overleveled, I feel like this is one game that would greatly benefit from some degree of level scaling system.

But the world exploration has been fun, I think the world is a fair bit more interesting than the one in OT1 (though the dungeons are still extremely lacking in personality) and the music and the art style are both pleasing still and while some of the stories do ham up the villains a bit too much for my tastes I've still generally been enjoying the short stories and they don't feel quite as formulaic as the ones in OT1.

So far I'm gonna it's a touch better experience than OT1 has but as I expected it is still falling to mostly all the same pitfalls, still I've been enjoying it well enough nonetheless.

This weekend I’m looking to go retro with Illusion of Gaia, as well as Wonder Boy in Monster World via the Wonder Boy Collection. Also, for something a little different, Saturday Night Slam Masters.

I didn't realise there was a Splatoon big run on so a I'll be going for be that but still need to complete Professor Layton Vs Phoenix Wright belle the end of March to get the free DLC.

@Zuljaras I love your doodle, it's awesome!

Theatrhythm Final Bar …. Bought the premium deluxe … over 550 songs with 3+ difficulties each … oomph got content for quite a while.

There’s a unique satisfaction to completing each song on the hardest difficulty that you can’t find in many games anymore. Totally worth the price.

@Doomcrow
A fellow person of culture I see

Octopath Traveler 2 on Switch and Like A Dragon Ishin on Series X.

Having spent the whole of 2023 playing one game (Witcher 3) I decided to break free and started the Minish Cap this weekend. And as a result I have a huuuge backlog on my switch. Need some help deciding where to start clearing it! I have:

Metroid Prime Remastered
Kirby Dreamland Deluxe
Axiom Verge
Blasphemous
Huntdown
Disco Elysium
Bayonetta 3
Shredder’s Revenge
Hyrule Warriors DE
Steamworld Dig 2

All sitting untouched on my switch. Where do I even start? Nice problem to have though.

Playing some Breath of the Wild and Smash Bros. Keeping it simple

Finished Bayonetta 3 last week (loved the ending) and this weekend will get down to some serious monkeying around on Return to Monkey Island.

This weekend I was planning on splitting my time up between Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and Octopath Traveler II but the latter is just too damn good, and I can’t pull myself away from it. This game has been consuming my thoughts even while I’m at work because I find it that good. And I know when I comment on this forum every week, I tend to write mini reviews. This week won’t be any different because I’m in awe of this game.

It has improved so much from its counterpart. For starters, all of the characters are fascinating and well realized. Their personalities really shine through minimal dialogue, and their motivations for the reason of their journey make sense.

Speaking of the core cast - I’m 20-hours in and I have acquired all characters, completed their opening chapter, and have unlocked the ability for a secondary job. And I’m not even remotely burned out, which is a feat in and of itself.

It’s unclear if these branching storylines will connect together to tell a singular cohesive story but it’s okay if they don’t because it’s the moment-to-moment gameplay along with strong character writing that has me coming back; not the overall narrative. Would it be nice if the game magically ties everything together? Yes; but it’s not something that will make me judge the game harshly unless it completely dismantles everything it has built.

One thing I love about OT2 is that it respects your time, particularly with NPC interactions. Oftentimes, you’ll find a lot of lengthy conversations that are ultimately meaningless and tiresome (I’m looking at you, Trails series). In this case, most NPCs have a single text bubble, or two at the most, all the while getting straight to the point and still managing to provide a good sense of world building. That is a testament to how brilliant the writing is in this game. The only downfall is, similarly to the first game, is that side quests are quite vague. I wish there was more direction on how to complete some of them.

Another aspect that I find fantastic is that it’s not overwhelming. All of the systems and mechanics are gradually introduced, and yet they aren’t convoluted at all. It’s one of those situations where you’ll get as much out of the game as you’re willing to put in, and if you dive deeply in you will be greatly rewarded.

Overall—though I haven’t completed the game yet, I think it’s an essential game for all JRPG fans. The combat is sublime; the soundtrack is fantastic; the characters and their personal stories are excellently written; and the game respects your time. All in all, if the game continues to impress me further down the line, I might consider this one of the best RPGs ever made.

Metroid prime remaster, this is the first time I played this game and man the game is great, my only complain is there's too much scanning in the game, even the mundane item is scannable. But beside that, I like the game

Metroid Prime and Super Mario 3D World

Splatoon 2 nintendo switch
Ryan's Rescue Squad nintendo switch
Cocomelon nintendo switch

Happy Gaming! (^_^)

Finished playing through Okami on Thursday, so I’m finally getting around to starting Persona 5. Too early to tell if it’s going to hook me (new to the franchise), but I’ve got a good feeling about it.

For a game I bought thinking I would just toss it into the backlog pile, Fire Emblem Engage has kept me playing (engaged?) 😅
I’m about 10 chapters in, grinding in many skirmishes so no characters get totally left behind. I’ll adventure some more this weekend, in between activities with the kiddos.

It’s hard to believe the Switch is six years old already! My launch day Switch, then Dec 2021 OLED have provided a lot of fun over the years, and this backlog I’ve built up would last a lifetime. When the next gen eventually arrives, here’s hoping it’s backwards compatible!

Wishing everyone a fun weekend!

Just discovered the joys of Katamari Damacy so I've been rolling all manner of cosmic bric-a-brac up this morning. After dark hours are currently reserved for The Quarry and/or Resi 2 if I can summon up the willpower to deal with the stupid Tyrant breathing down my neck every other minute. I'm not sure if it's fun or masochism at this point.

Octopath Traveler 2, Hogwarts Legacy and Samurai Maiden on PS5

And Metroid Prime Remastered and Fire Emblem Engage on the switch

Just finished Superstar Saga.

It looks incredibly vibrant on a big screen.

@Zuljaras that’s a nice spread there. For once it looks like you’ll be gaming all switch this time.

What do you think about Infernax? I’m wanting to get it I think, just deciding on whether it’s worth paying the extra for physical or going digital.

Horrible weather where I am so it provides me a good excuse to stay home and play Pokemon. I'm grinding in Crystal before the Elite Four and maybe I'll do some chain fishing in Omega Ruby or X.

Have a good weekend everyone.

@Zuljaras i figured you would have played this one. It checks all the boxes to be something akin to a castlevania or Zelda II. Speaking of hard games I just realized you do have elden ring up there, so not entirely a switch weekend. Thanks for the reply.

My university’s spring break is this week, so I’m gonna try to get a game off of my backlog. I might jump into Super Mario Sunshine via 3D All Stars. I also ordered a physical copy of Cuphead due to arrive Wednesday, so I’m really excited for that.

Last night, I got all of the achievements in Hollow Knight. I got a physical Switch copy for that last month, and I’ve been on another kick since then. Seriously, that game is amazing!

@Picola-Wicola Shredder’s Revenge is awesome! I’ve also heard good things about Axiom Verge

I don't want to spoil the party but I'm really more concerned that I'm not playing the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters on Switch, yet

I'm working on 100%ing Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Hoping to accomplish that today, actually. Nearing the end of Extra Mode then it's just the True Arena and I'm done! I finally decided to download Metroid Prime Remastered; it's pretty slow going but I'm literally still in the first area so I'm sure it'll pick up. I have a few RPGs in the backlog, too, that I'm hoping to at least chip at some point. Busy busy!

Mostly chained echoes as I'm trying to close it up. I bought metroid prime 1 yesterday and I'm patiently waiting to play it. Also a little bit of GTA V on my series s. I tried playing Wo Long as well but I quickly remembered why I'm not fond of souls games 😂. Also, I had a sudden urge to play one of my least favorite zelda games in PH last night haha. Got through the first cave area on the island and over through the town to the port.

I’m on the Final chapter of Fire Emblem Engage. Going to finish that off.

Not much change from last week. Dragon Quest VII 3DS is still my main game, where I believe I've finally made it to the scenario that'll unlock vocations (classes/jobs in most other games). I'm also still gradually working through Super Mario Sunshine (36 Shines) on Switch. The latter is becoming quite difficult to the point where I'm not sure if I'll finish....

I also plan to give the 3DS eShop a final browse this weekend to see if there are any stragglers I missed. I'll do a final sweep on the Wii U eShop in a week or two.

Edit: Picked up a couple of DSiWare titles; I forgot these are still available! I'm counting my 3DS eShop library finished.

Happy gaming!

@Zuljaras I love your art doodle! It has some of everything in Nintendo's console department.

I am now 72 hours into Persona 5 Royal and the story has really started to kick it up a notch. Towards the end of the 5th palace I got a little annoyed with the last airlock puzzle and it actually took me a few attempts to beat the boss. The story that happened afterwards though really shocked me. I'm about to start the 6th palace and I'm eager to see where the story goes!

For singleplayer, I finally managed to find a copy of Metroid Prime Remastered (I’m still shocked about it), so I’ll definitely be playing that. I’ll also be playing Kirby’s Return to DreamLand Deluxe some more, as well as probably more GTA V story mode.

For multiplayer, I’ll be playing Smash Ultimate, Modern Warfare II, Fortnite, and GTA V Online.

Finding the last Chozo artifacts in Metroid Prime remastered and completing the incredible Chained Echoes.

Finally got METROID PRIME: REMASTERED this week so probably some more of that. I also stated a new Gnarly difficulty run on SHREDDER'S REVENGE. Will top it off by giving the WO LONG demo a try on PS5 as everyone seems to be talking about it this week.

On Steam (PC) / Steam Deck:

• Tekken 7: online tournament
• Rocket League: online club vs club tournament
• Multiversus: online double vs double with a friend

On Switch with my wife:

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: balloon battle mode as usual.

@Picola-Wicola Steamworld Dig 2, in my only opinion, is the best game in your list!

This weekend I decided to tackle Adventure Island on the Wii U Virtual Console again. Being that that game is Ninja Gaiden hard, it'll take the time the whole weekend.

Other than that, yesterday I got it again and had the chance to relieve the disappointment that is Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii. The music and graphics are still top notch here.

Probably more Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for me, been playing that a lot again lately. Maybe some other games too, just whatever I feel like playing.

Plenty of Splatoon 3 this weekend and I’ll keep making progress in Pikmin 2.

If I can beat Pikmin 2 soon I’ll be starting Signalis.

I’m personally gonna replay pizza tower and try to P rank some levels

the replay value of that game is insane

Akka Arrh. It's brilliant and insane, like a ton of other Jeff Minter stuff. Pairs well with gummies. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

@HammerGalladeBro I once got to the final boss of Adventure Island for the NES. I had to pause the game to go to the mall w my family. My aunt turned the game off when we were gone. I just never had the heart to try again.
I beat Ninja Gaiden NES after my dumb brother threw a blanket over my head. I could not see at all, and somehow got lucky and beat the final boss. Yes, I am the blind child that defeated the ninja menace. The one the prophecy foretold.

@P-Man glad you found a cart! Waiting on my Japanese cart!

Having recently finished The Honk Kong Massacre for another 100% run, I have since begun and been hooked by Undernauts Labyrinth of Yomi. I'ma big fan of first person turn based dungeon crawling role playing games, and this is among the better in my opinion. Not as refined as Etrian Odyssey has gotten, and not as deep as Labyrinth of Refrain, but the darker tone and atmosphere is really great. I think when I'm through with this one, I'll get to playing Death Mark, maybe an "in between" game first.

This Weekend i'll be playing
Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch)
Star Wars Games (PC)
Xenoblade DE (Switch)

Fire Emblem: Engage, Evil Dead: The Game, Injustice 2, and The Quarry, if I have time.

Jetpack Joyride (Windows Phone) - Still trying to get in daily runs.

Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition (Windows Phone) - Finally at the end now.

Hitman GO (Windows Phone) - I've been really enjoying these levels enough, that I go back and try to improve my scores.

Splatoon 3 and NMS. Just the usuals.

Octopath 2 on the Switch, Hogwarts Legacy and Valheim someplace else.

Yep it's Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe for me as well. The minigames are really fun, I recognise a few from Kirby Super Star Ultra and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.

Oh, I also left Pokemon Unite for about 30 days so it's been fun to go back to that too.

I'm playing Metroid Prime and Kirby Return To Dreamland.

A balanced gaming diet!

Metroid is excellent. Kirby is very good too.

Astral Chain, "Peace" chapter. Slowly but steadily approaching that finish line. I don't know what will be next. But I need to figure out some MK8D time so I can practice wave 3 and 4.

The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence, Crystar, Doom 64 and Onigokko!

Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch. Enjoying it so far. I only played a bit of it on GameCube back when I had it because I was rather bad at sticking with games back then when they got the least bit difficult.

Also some of “BossGame” on iOS. I used to work with the person who made it. I am quite enjoying it. Unique battle system and really well done touch controls.

Hogwarts Legacy and Battlefront II.

I officially finished Triangle Strategy on the Frederica route! Now I'm gonna make Fire Emblem Engage my main game for awhile. I'm excited to fully dive into the newest game in my favorite series.

Hogwarts legacy on PC. I'm about lvl 20.

More Metroid Prime for me. I think I now have the final suit and am closing in on the end of the game. Seems like I have something of a hunt on my hands before I can get there however.

Playing Prime has also made me jump back into Dread. That game is so good. The movement is so unbelievably fluid and the atmosphere and soundtrack is great. As much as I'm enjoying my first playthough of Prime, I think 2D Metroid is where it's at for me.

Kirby and the forgotten land, (found it half priced used on a local store, and buy it just for collection sake)I never played a Kirby game before, tried a little of Star allies but didn’t think much on it… Forgotten land on the other hand… I can’t get enough of this one, such a fun relaxing game, with amazing OST. Loving every minute of it. Now i am on the hunt for planet Robobot and Epic Yarn on the 3ds. It made me a fan.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Return to Dream Land DX. Wonderful palette cleansers in this endless flood of hundred- hour RPG's.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax for almost certain. The poll at the top has also reminded me to finish Trials of Mana, play Persona 3 Portable, and buy some Megaman games.

Metroid Prime Remastered and if I can I'll work in some Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe. But I'm hooked on MPR right now.

@LikelySatan That should be a PS Trophy or an Xbox Achievement.

@HammerGalladeBro One of my favorite NES memories. I'm fairly certain Kenny Loggins was playing.

@AlienigenX nice