Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (11th October)

Greetings, greetings, yes, it’s the weekend once again! But before we plunge into what we’ll be engaging with over the next few days, let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the recent news highlights.

The major conversation piece this week was undeniably the inaugural video(s) from Nintendo Pictures. While there was plenty of uncertainty surrounding the first release, many had presumed it would be Pikmin-related, and this was indeed verified just one day later. It’s a delightful release, so do check it out if you haven’t yet.

In other news, three new SNES games have been incorporated into Nintendo Switch Online – perhaps not the most thrilling lineup imaginable, yet appreciated nonetheless. Alarmo (remember that?) also received a Kirby-themed update, which indicates we’re still anticipating those delightful Super Metroid themes – come on, Nintendo.

We also critiqued several games this week, so do take a moment to read them if you have a chance:

• Yooka-Replaylee – 8/10
• Absolum – 9/10
• The Touryst: Deluxe – 9/10
• Little Nightmares III – 6/10
• Shujinkou – 7/10

Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer

Since last weekend was primarily reserved for Super Mario Galaxy 2, I’d like to dedicate a bit of time to Final Fantasy Tactics and actually make a solid start on it. Conversely, I’ve recently dived into Xenotilt, and wow, it’s truly fantastic. Stunning visuals and a plethora of numbers climbing higher and higher. It’s incredibly addictive.

Jim Norman, Staff Writer

I’m still struggling through repeated Hades II runs and, once again, it’s refusing to let me escape. I don’t believe I’m as into this iteration as I was with its predecessor, but it’s still an enjoyable experience and a stern reminder that I am quite poor at nearly every boss battle involved.

If I can tear myself away, I’d really love to return to Clair Obscur, which I haven’t engaged with in about a week but has truly gotten under my skin. I’m sure I’ll finish it on PS5 soon, but it has to be arriving on Switch 2 shortly, correct?

PJ O’Reilly, Staff Writer

Well, I’ve got a plethora of things to critique over the weekend, so most of my gaming hours will be spent on that. However, I will also be setting aside some time specifically for Hades II and Super Mario Galaxy excitement.

I genuinely can’t believe these latest Galaxy 1+2 ports have been available this long and I haven’t even begun them yet. I’m losing my skills.

I never had any skills.

Kate Gray, Contributor

This week, it’s solely about Hades 2. I was very patient and waited until it exited early access, a display of willpower for which I deserve the utmost commendation, and I’m pleased I did — though I always feel like I can somewhat spot the seams in a formerly-early-access game. I can observe the areas where they’ve added additional content, akin to constructing an extension after realizing they neglected to include bathrooms; I sense the tension between whatever the early combat systems were, and how they ended up differing from the first game, becoming more aligned with what the early access players desired. There are numerous speedrunning and min-maxing elements, for instance. I don’t have any aversion to it!

Yet, I’m less engaged in the narrative this time, which is unfortunate, as Hades was so crucial to me as a player, designer, and writer. It feels like they’ve lost their wit. Supergiant has always excelled in fusing cosmic tragedy with humor (Bastion was brilliant at it), but Hades 2 is significantly more earnest. I have strong thoughts on Comedy As Serious Art, and I relish when games succeed at it, so I’m a tad let down, especially since I enjoy witnessing the Gods treating things with less gravity than mortals would. There are still instances of levity, but they’re largely sidelined from the Main Story. Nevertheless, I’m relatively early in the game — perhaps just under midway through the narrative? — so maybe it lightens up eventually!

Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor

I’m reliving my Final Fantasy Tactics obsession through Zach once again, who’s tackling Tactician difficulty. So naturally, we’re getting our backsides handed to us from time to time. We’re nearing that Chapter 3 confrontation, so let’s see if we receive another rude awakening…

That’s pretty much it for me at the moment — things are bustling in our household right now! Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

Gonçalo Lopes, Contributor

Salutations programs! I have reached Star Wars Outlaws to a point where I am warned if I move forward, I will miss out on all unresolved side quest content. So instead of thoroughly completing the game, I will likely be wandering around the galaxy for random tasks. Wow, it’s Lando Calrissian! While not technically a new title despite its recent launch on the eShop, Söldner-x: Himmellstürmer is providing that euro-shmup ecstasy I frequently crave and it was the only entry in the series that I hadn’t experienced before, coupled with a sensational soundtrack by Rafael Dyll. I’m also navigating my way to the final missions of Gearbits and I’ve reached Cronos in Hades II. Hopefully, a victory over the Titan is in the cards for this weekend.

UFO 50 update: 31 out of 50 games played. Wow, this week’s batch is impressive! Divers is super retro-hardcore hard, Rail Heist is fantastic, Vainger’s gravity switch tricks make it quite distinctive, Rock On! Island is extremely addictive and Pingolf could easily be a standalone release! More games await next week.

Game of the week is that forgotten gem on Wii TRON Evolution: Battle Grids. In this writer’s humble perspective still the finest TRON video game ever crafted and clearly one destined to be forgotten by time and industry progression. But amid all the light-cycling and disc launching antics, I need to make sure part of this weekend is devoted to finalizing my upcoming music album and ensuring a smooth release in just a few days. End of line.

Nile Bowie, Contributor

There’s a very whimsical, recently released title by Panic called Blippo+, which essentially serves as a TV simulator where you receive broadcasts from a distant alien planet where ’80s New Wave culture prevails! The enjoyable aspect of it is that you can use a single Joy-Con held vertically as a remote, evoking vivid memories of channel surfing on a CRT and stumbling across late-night public access shows as a child. There’s not much “gameplay” to it, but it’s completely unique.

I absolutely adore Donkey Kong Bonanza, but I’ve been progressing through it far too sluggishly and will be playing it this weekend. Similarly, there are numerous P-Switches in Mario Kart World that I’ve yet to uncover and complete, and I owe it to myself to bolster my meager Knockout Tour score a bit, so there’ll certainly be some competitive karting action taking place.

I’m very curious about the roadmap for future updates for World and still find it strange that DK and Pauline each have only one outfit. I’m crossing my fingers for a Bonanza tie-in of some sort.

Well, that’s what we have lined up for this weekend, but what about you? Share your selections with us in the following poll.