Speaking Level: What Are You Taking half in This Weekend? (Twenty ninth March)

We’re finally here, everyone. The last weekend before Nintendo’s highly anticipated Switch 2 presentation. Give yourselves a round of applause – we made it!

As for this week…? Well, it was a bit underwhelming, nothing major happened, folks. Just kidding! We had another Nintendo Direct. It was rather a pleasant surprise, packed with intriguing announcements, including the exciting new Virtual Game Card initiative.

In other news, Nintendo has launched Nintendo Today, a brand-new mobile app created to deliver daily news and updates. You can download it right now on Android and iPhone, so check it out!

This week, we also reviewed just one game; yes, we know it’s not many, but it’s a pretty good one. Breakout Beyond received a solid 8/10 from us and is highly recommended if you’re a fan of Atari’s classic arcade games.

Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer

I’m still making my way through Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, though my progress has admittedly slowed to a crawl. There’s just so much I want to play in the meantime, and considering how incredibly vast Xenoblade X is, I’m not sure I’m in the right mindset to dedicate substantial time to it.

Meanwhile, I’m having a blast with I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream from Nightdive. It’s quite captivating so far, and I believe you’ll see a little review of it shortly.

Kate Gray, Contributor

This weekend, I’ll be indulging in everyone’s favorite pastime: assembling three separate IKEA cabinets!!!! And Monster Hunter Wilds. I’m not sure which one will be more tedious.

I also just started Atomfall, which released this week and is on Game Pass, and you know what? It’s actually really, really good. Reminiscent of the Skyrims and Fallouts of old, it captures that charming B-game feel where the quirks are endearing (I encountered a bug where throwing a Molotov cocktail crashed the game three times in a row, and it was hilarious). The variety of British and Irish accents on display is remarkable too, and I’ve never seen so many lovingly crafted dry stone walls in a game! Also, drinking tea and eating Cornish pasties replenishes your health! Great experience so far for me.

Gonçalo Lopes, Contributor

Having completed over 90% of Primordia and 50% of Noctilum, this weekend will mainly be spent gathering those resources and accumulating wealth that can eventually equip my personal squad of dolls/skells (which for now remains a distant dream). I’ll attempt some exciting missions as I stumble upon them in Fresh L.A. and may even manage to set Chapter 5 in motion and start exploring Oblivia… is that an Arraken sandworm!? IP copyright lawyers from Monolith Soft say “No!”, but we know better… *wink, wink*.

If you managed to make any sense of that above, game of the week is (and will likely continue to be) Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. I haven’t even touched the new content yet and I’m already brainstorming all kinds of class-effective squad combinations.

Jim Norman, Staff Writer

I didn’t acquire Xenoblade Chronicles X last week, but hearing my friends rave about how incredible it is for the past seven days has genuinely made me eager to jump in. Maybe I’ll finally cave and get a copy if I find the time.

Annoyingly, Star Wars Outlaws, another expansive open-world game all about exploration and taking your time, has finally hooked me. I doubt I’ll be able to play all ‘well,’ but I’d like to spend a little extra time in a galaxy far, far away before heading to Mira.

Oliver Revolta, Contributor

I thought I was too old for the original Mario + Rabbids game, but I ended up loving it. Years later, I’m now playing through Sparks of Hope with an even more intense version of the same hesitation (definitely, because I’m older now). I’m apprehensive about the changes – the sequel seems to have lost some of the charm of the original, and it feels…