Weekend Vibes: What’s on Your Agenda for November 23rd?

The weekend has finally arrived, so it’s time to discuss what we gamers are engaged in during our leisure time. Before diving in, however, let’s take a moment to review this week’s highlights.

The major news this week was the 20th anniversary of the Nintendo DS. Yes, twenty. To celebrate this occasion, we asked for your top 5 DS games, shared a few of our favorites, reminisced about the unattractive prototype, and put our knowledge to the test with a quiz.

We also witnessed some remarkable sales figures for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake in Japan (surprise, surprise), reviewed the top offerings in North America and Europe’s Black Friday sales, and examined a potential Sony acquisition that could impact the future of the Mario & Luigi franchise.

In terms of reviews, we shared our thoughts on Stray, 8-Bit Adventures 2, Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi, and Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 – The Dead King’s Secret.

Ollie Reynolds, Team Writer

I never anticipated becoming so invested in a remake of an RPG from the late ‘80s, but goodness gracious, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake could very well secure a spot in my GOTY shortlist for 2024. It’s fantastic. So yes, I’ll be diving into it quite extensively this weekend.

I’ll also try to make a bit more progress in my current Baldur’s Gate III playthrough. I just acquired the beautiful 30th Anniversary PlayStation Portal, and wow, if it isn’t the absolute best way to enjoy a game like BG3. That being said, I’m still in that honeymoon phase where I’m testing out as many games as possible while exclaiming, “Look, this one’s excellent too!” to my completely uninterested significant other.

Jim Norman, Team Writer

Like Ollie, Dragon Quest is calling my name and I think I’ve put it off for too long. This means I might have to pause Mario & Luigi: Brothership for a bit, and that’s fine — I’ve reached the 15-hour mark and while I’m still enjoying it, I don’t think I’m ready for ‘another 20 hours of this.’ We’ll see.

I have Neva downloaded and ready to go, which I’m eager to explore, and I’ve also been playing Daxter on the PSP from way back. A surprising choice to include at the end there, but what can I say? It’s just a solid game.

Gavin Lane, Editor

This week, there are a handful of GOTY candidates that I will definitely be trying out. However, I’ve been sidetracked by both Tetris DS and Yakuza Kiwami.

I picked up the classic version for the DS’ 20th birthday and having played a few hours, it feels astonishing that it didn’t have ‘Nintendo’ in the title. I’m sure it did exceptionally well (considering it’s Tetris and all), but ‘Tetris DS’ truly underrepresents how much Nintendo’s essence is embedded in it.

Yakuza Kiwami is my introduction to a series I’ve long wanted to experience but never got around to. It’s slower-paced, certainly, but I approached it expecting Shenmue-like pacing with some arcade-style action elements, and it hasn’t disappointed. I’m only on Chapter 4, but I’m fully enjoying it so far.

Felix Sanchez, Video Producer

This weekend, I plan to wrap up Unpacking. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while but have been busy with other games. I’m at the final phase, and it’s just so enjoyable that I can’t wait to jump back in, so this weekend it should be completed!

I might also dive back into Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom if time permits, but my main focus is on Unpacking.

Liam Doolan, Team Writer

Nintendo added Donkey Kong Land to the Switch Online service this week, so I think I’ll revisit it over the next few days. I owned a few of the DK Land games before I actually played the Donkey Kong Country series on SNES, so I don’t really remember his mini-adventures.

Aside from that, I might boot up Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection and check out the latest GTA Trilogy update.

Gonçalo Lopes, Contributor

Final boss battles in BAKERU! I had no idea there was a world 6 in Abathor! Chapter 6 in Gundam Breaker 4 seems to represent the climax of the story mode, definitely feeling like a Gunpla anime. I finally got around to playing Europa, and it’s been a great experience thus far. I’m also exploring Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi, which features surprisingly tight platforming and combat. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2…