Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (14th September)

Finished Bõ Path of the Teal Lotus, absolutely brilliant.

Also finished Beholgar, really enjoyed it. Now I need to buy a physical copy.

Also finished MO Astray.
This game is amazing. Absolutely loved it and the unique gameplay concept pushes it into my top 5 action puzzle platformers. Highly recommended. Wish it had a physical release as it absolutely deserves one.

Started Unsighted.
This game gives me Hyper Light Drifter vibes and that can only be a good thing
Really enjoying it so far.

My copy of Yars Rising arrived this week too so I'm looking forward to getting into that as well.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Did another 100% complete play through of Metroid Dread in order to celebrate my new Hall-Effect Joy-Cons. 130+ hours in and I simply can’t get enough of this game. My Shinesparking has drastically improved in this run and it bumped up my enjoyment another notch!! good times…

My old 3rd-party controllers’s analog sticks were getting drifty, so I had to replace them. My new Hall-Effect Joy-Con colours are to die for!! I love them!! You can change the colours as you please. I have a soft spot for yellow and purple, and I never realized how much I would love having coloured lights on my controllers XDDD…

Anyways, I recently acquired Contra Anniversary Collection and it’s a solid 9/10 game just as I remember from my Sega Mega Drive days. I’ll surely put more time into it once I get rid of the Metroid-19 virus I’m struggling with. Cheers!!! Happy gaming, everyone!!! ❤︎♥︎❤︎

Marvelous: Mouhitotsu no Takarajima

In preparation for the release of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, I've been playing Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the first time, since it's a previous game in the series heavily featuring Zelda. Enjoying it so far! I think it's really underrated. The relationship between Link and Zelda in the game is great. 🙂

Also, to enhance my playing experience, I'm playing the game on my phone using the Android DS emulator DraStic, because the emulator has the option to double the standard resolution of the DS. For DS games that heavily use 3D models like Spirit Tracks, the doubled resolution makes the generally highly-pixelated models much nicer to look at.

Below are before-and-after screenshots of the game on my phone, with the top being the standard resolution and the bottom being the doubled resolution. 👍

Marvel vs Capcom fighting collection, SvC Chaos, Reynatis (demo). Probably Onsen Master in between fighting games. I have also drifted back to Samurai Showdown since I am on a Soul Calibur kick on xbox.

I sorta want to go back to Bayonetta 3 since I’ve come to terms with the state of the story at this point.

Ring Fit Adventure: I’m making good progress in the post game. I got to get a day in the gym earlier in the week that I still feel welcomely sore from. It’s dawned on me that an old shoulder injury no longer wants me to attempt pike push ups. Pull ups, UCV raises, and bicep curls with mechanical drop sets are going well.
I’ll probably be signing off because Ring Fit Adventure has become the only game that I have any interest in playing. I can’t wait to see what Nintendo is going to create for their next fitness game on the switch successor.

Just made it to the mines in Metroid Prime Remastered.

Also been playing around with Wrestlemania XIX on the Cube - arguably the most unique wrestling game there is with Revenge mode.

Nintendo Switch:
Persona4 The ULTIMAX ULTRA SUPLEX HOLD – finished Arcade Mode as Naoto, Labrys, Mitsuru, Kuma, Chie, Akihiko, Elizabeth, Yōsuke, Yukiko, Aigis, Adachi, and Yū. Arcade Mode completed.
Vampire Savior -The Lord of Vampire- – beated the game without using continues as Aulbath, Morrigan, Demitri, and Viktor. Beated the game with using continues as Anakaris and Bishyamon.
Windows:
Garō: Mark of the Wolves – beated the game as Freeman without using continues. Hi-score is 956000.
Update #1:
Fate/stay night REMASTERED – still Day 8. Decided to earn more affection from gals. Got more affection points from Saber and Illya.
Well, for now, it's all what I've played on this week. Have a nice gaming weekend, everyone.

@JohnnyMind Just curious, do you pre-prepare your weekly "What are you playing" comments? They're always impressively comprehensive for being posted so soon after the article drops lol. 😉

This week I will be mostly playing

Mario’s Super Picross
Two Point Hospital

@SuperBro64 Yep, I think. The same thing with Zuljaras and me (partially).

Finished Emio during the week, what a story! I even cried at the final part.
Now I am playing another detective story, although very different, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, still in chapter 0. Fortunately this one has English dub. My only complaint towards Emio was the lack of it.

Playing

• Batman: Arkham Knight (PS5)
• Neon White (XSX)
• Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster (Steam)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

Paused

• F1 23 (PS5)
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS5)
• Yakuza: Like A Dragon (PS5)

Backlog

• Days Gone
• Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
• Persona 3: Reload
• Red Dead Redemption 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Stellar Blade: Made it to Xion and am very much enjoying the fluid combat with its variety of unique combos and loadouts to boost different types, the decent assortment of collectibles (including some great looking cosmetic outfits) and EVE is a sleek protagonist with real charm that endears her to you; think Bayonetta but somewhat more vulnerable. The story is typical post-apocalypse, but starting to have its own unique flair.

Of course it doesn't hurt that she's great to look at, but the game surrounding her is pretty incredible so far.

I am playing for Team Present in Splatoon 3. They even made a new hub world for the Grand Festival. Big respect to the Splatoon team for going the extra mile, it is really appreciated. I am sure the hub world will make lots of Splatoon fans emotional.

Afterwards I will continue my adventure in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door. With a little bit of luck, I should be able to finish chapter 3 today.

Happy gaming everyone and I wish you a great Grand Festival!

@cosmograph keep up the great work 💪🏻

This weekend I’m still playing Pizza Tower. I honestly think this could be GOTY for me.

Happy gaming all ✌️

Splatoon 3! Not played for probably close to a year but thought I should get involved for the last splatfest. The whole festival thing is really cool, glad I didn’t miss it, even if I am still generally the worst player on any team.

Also played a tiny bit of Celeste while I waited for the splatoon download, some Pikmin 4 (think I’m near the end but not entirely sure).

And some Slay The Spire on iPad - keep coming back to this every few months. Up to level A11 on the 3 main characters (not going for the heart, only did that on the lowest levels). It’s just so good!

Hoping to finish up Bakeru, then maybe go back and finish Immortals: Fenyx Rising, which has taken a bit of a back seat. On my YouTube channel, I recently started a playthrough of Kirby's Return to Dream Land; hopefully I can finish that this weekend as I haven't recorded the past couple days, and then I can move on to maybe Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze as the next game I play on camera.

2 years after giving up, I am finally currently advancing on Mini Game Island in Mario Party (NSO). That bloody boo cycling game where you have to rotate the stick so fast before he catches you!
Had a go the other day and finally did it (official joycons kept slipping off, but 3rd party one stays in place).

Beaten 40/50 of the mini game island now. I think the first will always be the best for me, just because it was so new and odd at the time and was so excited for it. I remember replaying and replaying 'The Running of the Bulb'. I loved it was 4 player co-op, and though it lasts for all of 30 seconds, I always wanted a proper game to be developed out of it!

Also, may do my regular failed attempt to beat extreme mode in TJ & Earl: BITG.
In a way, I don't mind I can't win. It frustrates the hell out of me when I get so far and die again, but 5 years on I am still playing because of it.

Pokémon Go Ponyta Community Day meetup. Caught me seven shinies. Also partook in three Groudon raids.

Blue Archive, though I dunno if you can say I'm actually playing right now since I did everything in the New Years event. Yes, New years event. You heard that right. We're suppose to be counting down to 2025 by tonight!
Anyways, just sweeping rewards while waiting for the next big content drop, who I recall is probably gonna be the Trinity Library event staring everyone's favorite never-shower stinky, Kozeki Ui, since that's getting retired from the event cycle and made permanent. So looking forward to reading that!

That said, after beating Doom 2 again and suffering through occasionally bad map design in it (Man that replay was one hell of a reminder) I'm giving Cat Fantasy a try. It's kinda got that "melty Harajuku" aesthetic you may be familiar with through Persona, but just more rainbows.... and cat girls. Lots.... and lots.... and lots.... of catgirls. So many cat girls in fact, it's having a collab with Nekopara.

@jolteon23 Very sorry to hear that but happy to hear that you are starting to enter a better head space. Hope that you have an enjoyable time and are able to immerse yourself in one this weekend

I recently got all three Xenoblade games on switch and have come down with a virus in time for the weekend, so I guess I’ll start with #1 first. I played all three of the games’ opening parts just for a flavour and all seem incredibly great but I have to say my best first impression was for #2! That Rex seems such a nice kid! 😂

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
Chapter 5. I've said multiple times that my pace has been slow due to playing other games but I feel like the pacing in the game itself could be better too.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix
I discovered yesterday that they'd added new songs since I last played and they happened to be on sale so I got them.

Various other games. Just beat Metal Slug 2 and Gradius ReBirth earlier today.

A week back into TotK, and I see no end in sight. I am using the book to find remaining quests, there is so much in this game!

Happy gaming everyone!

Having a SteamDeck break this week, with lots to play on Switch

Currently alternating between the newly released ‘Nano Apostle’ - an awesome isometric boss-rush game, with a hectic difficulty curve and an excellent challenge. Very reminiscent of Eldest Souls, with similar skill tree elements + infinite re-spec scope. Nano Apostle is a must-buy for any fans of Cuphead and/or Souls difficulty games.

On the side I’m playing Machinarium, a great P&C title from 2010s…. Logical but very hard!

Next 2 weeks are looking good, with Broken Sword Reforged next week and then Echoes the following

Who was playing Wrestlemania XIX (on the poll). Is that the one where you spend most of the game beating up builders and security guards and throwing them off scaffolding? Excellent choice if so. I loved that so much. They really went in such a different direction to what you expect in a wrestling game.

I am playing Yakuza: Like A Dragon. I decided to try taking my time with the game, and I'm in no hurry to finish it.

I'm also playing Tomb Raider 3, Stitch, and Mr Run and Jump on Atari 2600.

I am very tempted to get the new Capcom fighting collection, too.

I've been sucked in by Vampire Survivors, now around the 30-hour mark and almost getting the platinum before starting on the DLC maps and adventures. I'm also still going through Astro Bot, now moving on from the third to the fourth galaxy, and investigating with Miles in AAI:ME, where I'm still in the third case of the first game. Have fun gaming, everyone.

It's all about Astro Bot and MVC (well, X-MEN Vs SF, for me). I will be in bed playing in about an hour. Can't wait! These are just incredible.

I've finally collected all the memories (tears, geoglyphs) in Tears of the Kingdom. And now I'm in the desert getting ready to beat the game for only the 2nd time. It's amazing that the game is 1.5 years old and there's still so much I haven't done in it!
I'm also pretty amazed at how good Zelda: Dungeons of Infinity is. An amazing fan/programmer from Manitoba created this awesome roguelike from Link to the Past art over the past 4 years. It is very much worth playing!
The other awesome new game for me is What the Car? It's super fun and creative like their previous What the Golf? I'm also playing Kingdom Eighties, Cobalt Core, Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 6 (beautiful 60fps N64 game on Steam Deck), Taiji (awesome, smooth playing puzzle game like a 2D The Witness), Mario Kart 64 Remade (this is now my second favorite racing game after Wipeout Phantom Edition. It is so fun, fast, and smooth to control — better than Mario Kart Wii, which I also just played to compare), Wipeout Phantom Edition (absolutely love seeing it running at 240fps!), Rocket League (this is also awesome at 240fps, I don't really like the way it looks at 90fps on OLED Deck), Dr Mario Online DX, Gran Turismo 3, and Ship of Harkinian.
Tea of the weekend is Wuyi Yan Cha, so delicious! And a Youtuber came into my work, which lead me to watch his stuff, which lead me to restarting watercolors (he does nature journaling), so that's fun!
I've been happy to see Wulff Den supporting Retro Game Corps, and Waikuteru supporting other Youtubers attacked by Nintendo. I also learned about YouTube itself attacking Youtubers this week. Hopefully we can create a new video sharing format that is more along the lines of Linux, or Wikipedia, or something that supports the common good.
Take care and have fun!
Edit: after playing more Mario Kart 64 Remade I started having some trouble staying on the tracks. So wider beginner courses make it seem very smooth and easy and fast to control, I guess. Still, a great fan creation based on Mario Kart Wii building blocks.

Bombing around in Retroarch

3DS stuff

Enjoying some Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection and continuing Dual Destinies in the Apollo Justice Ace Attorney Collection.

Any free time is going into Splatoon 3's Grand Festival. Nintendo have really outdone themselves with the whole festival area and it's overall vibe. It's a shame we only have one weekend in this area, as I feel some people are going to miss out on experiencing it. Let's go, Team Present!

Splatoon 3 for Grand Fest, going to make the most of this final event that I can.

Committed to finally finishing Paper Mario: TTYD after starting it the day it launched. Chapter 6 was an absolute slog and it’s taken me forever to get through because it was so boring, to the point where I just put the game down for ages.

Good game overall but the pacing issues and backtracking bring it down IMO.

I’ve finally completed Persona 5 Royal. I think I clocked 155 hours. One of the best RPGs I’ve ever played. On the Switch, it’s right up there alongside Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

I’ve completed 120 of the daily puzzles on stitch. I’ll also be playing SteamWorld Heist 2.

Recently started my second playthrough of Persona 3. It’s incredibly interesting seeing all the little differences made when playing through Kotone’s route. There are some instances where I think some story beats aren’t as good when compared to Makoto’s route, but overall, I’m liking what Atlus is doing here.

I bought the The Witcher 3 on Switch in the recent sale. I did try the game on PS4 years ago and put it down, but as usual, portable play has seen me spend more time with the game at last.

Also still playing the Castlevania Dominus collection.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Chapter 8, NS), Etrian Odyssey II (Floor 9, DS), Final Fantasy III (DS), and Metroid Zero Mission (GBA).

The last game has been quite a surprise and easily one of the best Metroid games I’ve played. Looking forward to picking up Fusion afterward. Happy gaming!

Sadly I’m faced with a bunch of chores this weekend, including the dreadful task of emptying and sanitizing a chest freezer that quietly decided to die a week or two ago. If I survive that biohazard, I’ll probably continue on in Grounded, where I’m trying to stay on task and collect a few black ant parts to upgrade my shovel, seal a pesticide leak, and hopefully reach the 3rd hidden base a little easier, BUT I keep getting distracted. Such is always my lot in open-world games. Sigh… Maybe the kids will want to play something co-op together instead. We so rarely do these days.

I should add that I’m with all the Marvel vs. Capcom Collection players in spirit, while I wait for my physical copy. “Freedom prevails!!”

Hoping everyone has a less noxious weekend than me! 😵‍💫🕹☣️

For the first time in a while, I've been in the mood for video games, so I finally started playing Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, I'm liking what little I've played so far. Outside of that, Ponyta gets the community day treatment in Pokemon Go, so I will be spending time with that for a bit, even if my Pokemon Go Plus+ will be doing the majority of the work.

About to head to Ganons Tower in Wind Waker HD, and I'm towards the tail end of Gunbrella. Once I finish those, I might either buy Pizza Tower or wait til Plucky Squire drops.

I’ll be going to BURNING MAN!!! ….i mean playing the Grand Festival

This weekend I’m playing Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. One month ago I played my first game in this series, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and fell in love with it, so much so I got the platinum trophy for it. This newfound appreciation for the franchise led me to explore other entries, starting with Ys: Memories of Celceta. I finished it yesterday and now I’m diving into New Game+ on Nightmare difficulty for another platinum run.

What immediately sets Ys IX apart is its self-awareness. The game cleverly plays with the familiar tropes found in JRPGs and earlier entries in the series, often adding a humorous touch to the darker tone of its narrative. In fact, it seems incredibly homogeneous to Dragon Quest XI regarding its opening hours—another RPG favorite of mine.

The setting itself is drastically different from its counterparts. You’re in this sprawling city known as Balduq, or rather Prison City. It functions as a living and breathing world, where people work, have their own homes, and is relatively modern. However, the world is rich with lore, with mysterious graffiti littered about that provides upgrades depending on your character, and from the very beginning, the game hooks you with collectibles you can't yet reach, igniting curiosity and anticipation for what's to come.

This culminates into one standout aspect in its refined gameplay, and that is traversal. Unlike prior games, this one focuses on verticality as a focus point of its level design, and it’s all the better for it. Whether it’s scaling walls or gliding across rooftops, these traversal abilities make the city of Balduq feel like a playground, filled with hidden treasures and unreachable areas that beg to be explored.

As for gameplay, most of the mechanics are familiar, maintaining its frenetic combat while introducing a plethora of character abilities that make combat more engaging. The game also bestows its traditional use of artifacts—now known as sacramentals—to enhance its already dynamic gameplay. This all leads to a new layer of freedom that keeps the gameplay fresh.

I’m only several hours in, but overall the game strikes a perfect balance between innovation and familiarity. It’s shaping up to be one of the best RPGs I’ve played in recent memory, and is quickly becoming my favorite in the series so far. My level up hype for the next installment is through the roof, and I’m glad I only have to wait a month for its release.

@Ryu_Niiyama Samurai Shodown 2 and the modern remake are two of my faves.

@LikelySatan SAMURAI SPIRITS (2019) is a reboot, not remake.

I'll most likely play a game with tanks but other then that I'm not sure what I'll play. (Happy Birthday @JimNorman)

Dragon Quest Treasures, finally got around to it. I'm having a blast so far, weird that I never really hear anyone talk about this game, I think it's great.

Wild ***** and some Marvel VS Capcom here and there.

LTTP + FS in preparation for Echoes of Wisdom.

@Neckcrane 😆Thank you!

Was supposed to be at a college football game today, but have a weird leg infection...so I'll be playing Volgarr the viking 2 and watching some football

Started playing Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga on 3ds this week, last played some years back. Thought it was time for a second playthrough.

Enjoy your birthday weekend @JimNorman

Mario Golf Super Rush: Story mode (Dunes)

Smash Bros Ultimate: Adventure mode

Brotato: I cannot stop playing it

I really wish I could be playing the MvC Collection, but I have to wait so most of my game time will go towards Splatoon 3, gotta help rep Team Present!

SPLATFEST and Balatro!!!

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) - Sully had to go and get himself hurt didn't he?

Microsoft Wordament (Android) - Closing on the achievement for getting to level 80.

NBA Jam (Windows Phone) - At the end of this I feel. Time to delete it and move on to another WP game.

Starting Halo 4. Been playing through the "newest" MCC on PC. Never had played the Halo games before (gasp!). Have really enjoyed all the games thus far!

I have just finished Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. What an amazing game!! It surpassed all my expectations. It has become my third favourite metroidvania, after Metroid Dread and Hollow Knight. It's one of my GOTYs for sure.

I'm also playing Bakeru, and well... For now it's nothing outstanding. Pretty average game so far.

60 hours into Pokemon Violet and barely scratched the surface of this underrated gem!

@Vyacheslav333 Dude I don't care, lol. Just over here talking about vidya gamez. Why are you not yelling at them about the w in Shodown????

@Kraven Wow, good to hear. I've been having Ys IX collecting dust for a long time, waiting for it to be patched (it run terribly when I first played it). Actually, I was considering selling it and go directly for X, as the setting is much more apealing to me, more like VIII.
After reading your post though, I might give it a shot before X. Can you tell me if the perfomance is giving you much trouble? Hopefully it was patched already and I didn't hear it lol

Finally got around to playing Octopath Traveler II which I ironically preordered before it came out. Have a really good friend who kept insisting numerous times I should start it, so what the heck.

So far I've beaten 4 chapter 1's and just obtained a full party. The combat and strategy are amazing just like in the original game, but I love the addition of latent powers this time around. The stories are entertaining thus far. Thronè was my first choice, cos I love stealing everything not nailed down~

Finished a run in Sonic Advance 2 so onto Sonic Advance 3 + 7 hours into Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis. Black Myth Wukong took a backseat for now

I just rolled the credits on Ori and the Will of the Wisps ! An amazing game, great series! If only Xbox could find a way to return to relevancy again! 😝

Thinking of starting Prince of Persia next, we’ll see what the backlog beckons. Will also mess around with some Splatoon 3 …Go Team Past!! Cuz I’m a sucker for nostalgia

On Series X
I ran into a game ending bug in Dead Space remake so I had to start an earlier save. Frustrating times in the 1st World!

Will continue playing thru Mafia and COD MW3 and at some point I should give Elden Ring a legit go.

Strains on deck
Red Congo, MAC , Peach OG , Comatose and LA Kush Cake 😮‍💨🥴

Have a great weekend!
Happy gaming!

Weekends come with comparatively less free time (until late December, at least), which translates to more modest gaming ambitions... yeah, RIGHT. Certainly not when I actually find myself procuring 13 Sentinels and then following it up with a streak of Wall World, Crashlands, Mr Prepper and Tinykin over the week (as well as Exit the Gungeon although its first ride onboard will likely be brief since I still have most of Enter to cover). The usual Switch suspects (Xenoblades, Isaac, Mudrunner, NMS, Fuga) are also in the cards along a variety of whims from Silent Hope, Dredge and Sword of the Vagrant to RE0, Valkyria Chronicles and Yonder. Non-hybrid session may include stuff like Disney Infinity and something Elder Scrolls, The Crew 2 and Avengers, The Chase Begins and Unwound Future, Gravity Rush and Eternia... and then Push Square just did a welcome heads-up piece on the subscription-supplied Sky Gunner, so I feel tempted to check it out at least briefly - PS2 games are all to be Deck playthroughs these days, but squeezing one onto my Deck is another matter anyway.😏😅

@the_beaver I’m actually playing it on my PS5, but primarily the PS Portal and the performance is pretty solid. I haven’t had any dips or anything, but idk how that will translate to Nintendo Switch.

@Kraven Good to hear. I was depressed about IX on Switch, as a huge fan of the series (Felghana is coming soon and I am stoked)., but I've been playing a ton on my Portal. Thanks!

These are what I'm playing this weekend. Some mix awesome of games so far:

• Marvel Super Heroes via the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection for Switch
• Black Myth: Wukong for PC (game is struggling on my PC but still playable)
• Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow via the Castlevania Dominus Collection for Switch
• Doom II Remastered for PC via Steam Deck
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth for PC via Steam Deck
• Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie for Switch

Marvel vs Capcom Fighting game Collection and Ace Attorney Investigation Collection.

Wii:
Metroid Prime Trilogy

Switch:
Splatoon 3 (Splatfest)
Paper Mario: TTYD
Mario Strikers Battle League

NSO:
Donkey Kong Country
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

Switch - The King of Fighters XIII: Global Match, SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy

PS5 - Astro Bot

Xbox Series X - Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP

Zelda a link to the past on switch subs, I never played the game on original snes so it's like a new game for me 😃

Man 2D games are great, it's already been 32(!!) years when it launch but the graphics is still pretty good on oled switch.

In my quest to stay concentrated on the backlog and push myself to play games that aren't what I would normally gravitate to, I worry I just made a huge mistake. I picked up Snowrunner (Switch) and started very slowly figuring things out during the week. I have to say it's completely out of left field of anything I'd ever touch but I would always hear so much about it (Switch Up for years always brings it up). I say I possibly made a huge mistake in the sense that it's very slowly digging in meat hooks into me in a way I could see myself putting that backlog on ice (again!).

I honestly don't know how to explain it. I'm nothing of a "trucker" type person and/or have any desire to be. But yet as I learn more and more of this game's mechanics, I find myself losing track of the real world and just being absorbed into Snowrunner's world. I don't get it. It's a freaking slow (and I mean slow!) paced game but it's grabbing me. This game is so massive and literally hundreds of things to do on each map. If this continues, I could see my quest of the backlog being once again at a standstill (I've been doing so good the year or so cracking at it!). I never expected I'd be so fascinated with conquering an antagonist that is nothing more than an environment...?...crazy.

Honestly, it's really tripping me out. I've been gaming on some totally awesome games all over the spectrum lately but there's something about this game that feels the most unique and unexpected. Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

NES Championships on Switch ;D Just grabbed the deluxe edition for cheap!

One piece odyssey love the game so far.

Marvel Vs Collection for sure!

Same stuff for me this weekend. 😂. I finished the card en ciel demo a little while ago and I like it. I don’t know if I will buy it day 1 since there is no physical US release but it might happen later. Got other games to get down first anyways.

Working on everyone’s chapter 2’s in octopath traveler 2. There is a lot. 😂. Good thing I finished all characters chapter 1’s.

For non Nintendo systems, just trying to finish drakengard 3.

This weekend I'll play the ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters games I got before the Anniversary Sale ended:

'94: Hard as teeth even on Level-1, why?

'95: Haven't played yet

'96: Almost beat it with Terry, Kyo and Mai, but Goenitz's cheap tornado spam at the edge of the stage said "lol no"

'98: Beat it with Terry, Blue Mary and Shingo (first time using him), but I believe I got a bad ending as Rugal blew up the ship where the match happened

'99: Haven't played it yet, but I remember beating it at the arcades

Mostly focusing on Ace Attorney Investigations 2, also need to get back to Astro Bot. Might fit a run of the Punisher beat-'em-up in there somewhere.

I am suffering from considerable lack of sleep and am feeling taciturn.
I am just going to furrow my brow, jut my lower lip, cross my arms and grumble all weekend.
Finished Dawn of Sorrow and will start Portrait of Ruin (my fave) soon. Searching for the last temple in Moonstone Island.
Playing lots of Magic: the Gathering Arena , Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and Warhammer 40k Inquisitor: Martyr on steam.
Some other stuff.
I hope Kate has a safe and happy holiday and Teksetter gets her freezer squared away.
Take care and game well.

@JimNorman Happy Birthday, Jim! May you feast well on cake and obtain gifts most pleasing.

While I've been doing a run-through of HOGWARTS LEGACY on Switch instead of PS5, I may have to grab NMH2: DESPERATE STRUGGLE (was this supposed to be a DS game, lol). Other than that, SONIC FRONTIERS and SONIC SUPERSTARS are also on the rotation. And I also just downloaded UNDEFEATABLE, a free PS5 game that is a proof-of-concept for a Superman-style game. The three person team is working on a larger alien-world version for release next year. While it's pretty basic, some of the concepts and controls are interesting and show how easy it would be to get the basics of a good Superman game going from the off. I really wish FACTOR 5 got to do their take. If you like Superman and have a PC or PS5, I suggest throwing on some John Williams, Shirley Walker, or Hans Zimmer and giving it a go!

Switch:

Prince of Persia: Lost Crown
Batman: Arkham City

Xbox:

Starfield
Red Dead Redemption 2

Splatoon 3 for the Grand Splatfest. Enjoy!

Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection
Vampire Survivors
Peglin
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin

Played a bit of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge on the Xbox with a friend of mine for the first time. I have played Shredder’s Revenge already, but it was about a year since I last played it. Had a blast playing with my friend and a couple of other players online, but I did kinda suck at playing because it’s been so long since I’ve played and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t make myself look stupid while playing lol. I’ll join him again later! Probably going to play this tomorrow too.

Originally me and my friend were supposed to play Perfect Dark Zero, but for some reason the game required me to buy an Xbox Live sub even though it was discontinued and despite me already having an online sub. Shame we couldn’t play Zero but oh well.

Primary: Final Fantasy 2 (SNES)

I made it through the Land of Summoned Monsters and defeated both the King and Queen in a contest of strength, earning the right for Rydia to summon them in battle. The Tower of Bab-il has been reactivated. The Falcon has been fitted with a nose drill, and I can finally move freely between the light and dark worlds.

Time to knock out some side quests. Found a rat tail, gave it to a weird munchkin who traded me some adamantite ore. Took the ore to the world's greatest smith who confiscated my sword of Legend and told me to come back later....

I also visited the basement of Castle Baron.... Odin wiped out my party, despite inflicting 9999 damage on him with Rydia's Lightning 3. Oh well.

Finally, went to visit Edward and see if he was well enough to rejoin the party. He wasn't, but he gave me a clue that led me back to Toroia, which garnered an item that I think I can use to have another old comrade rejoin the group! That's my next stop. Then, back to Odin for another go. Once I exhaust all the available side quests, it's on to Mysidia to continue the story.

Every single second of this game so far has been an absolute joy. It moves along at a steady clip and I don't think I've been bored once, which is more than I can say for so many, more recent titles. The music helps. It does slow down a bit in the underworld with all of the additional dungeons. but even then, the mood set by the games graphics and sounds keeps the experience enchanting even when you're getting in fights every two steps.

Alternate: Dragon Quest 6 (SNES)

Job class grinding. One hour a day. Hero is one rank away from completing Beast Master. Then it's on to Ranger, Magic Knight and Battle Master. Then I'll be 100% complete! Just a few more weeks....

Other:

Secret of Mana for SNES was added to the physical collection this week. I'm looking forward to finally playing it (eventually). Don't know how I've missed it all these years. I remember playing through about the first third. The game looks beautiful and the combat and weapon leveling is addictive, but I remember feeling the soundtrack was overrated. We'll see how those memories hold up.

Also been messing around with Xanadu on the Switch EGG Console. A strange, RPG that can pull you in despite its rather simple presentation.

Don't have much time for games this weekend, so the time I do have will be spent on Splatoon 3's Grand Festival, representing Team Present. The new festival hub area is pretty impressive considering it was created just for this weekend.

Happy birthday @JimNorman, by the way!

I started Duel Destinies recently, so gonna power through the second case and move on. It's not doing much for me at the moment, as much as Apollo Justice did but hey, it's still Ace Attorney 🙂

I bought the Castlevania Dominus Collection so I could replay Portrait of Ruin after so many years- absolutely love it 😁 feels amazing to play, although it's gonna be way more difficult without my beloved DS cheats lol.

I also restarted the original Animal Crossing on GameCube....again haha. I don't know how long this town will last but it feels good to have something to play after work/outings. Just chatting to KK right now for a track 🙂

Happy gaming all ❤️

I recently found my 3DS (lost it in the move) so I’ll be going through Dragon Quest VII, XI, and a bit of Stella Glow when I have the time.

Grand Festival all weekend with a sprinkle of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep for when I need a break from the Splatfest chaos.

Playing? I fight for the Emperor!!

(Space Marine II)

I’ll be returning to Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, of course. Haven’t progressed very much this week but I finally finished Chapter 1. That…was a wild experience. One left field plot twist after another…and somehow it’s already shot down nearly all my plot expectations coming from Trigger Happy Havoc. The class trial was lengthy and surprisingly tricky. It was a little tough starting fresh with a whole new cast and setting after only one game, but I think it’s starting to grow on me…and I think these games are probably a lot more connected than they seem.

Princess Closet, evidently. (It was on sale!)
It's kind of a nicely-paced low stakes otome set in the fashion industry where the player doesn't even have to make choices. A bit rough around the edges (CGs aren't high-res, only one ending per route, and you don't get a full-featured menu of any kind---stuff like that), but I'm about a third of the way through a route and the writing is pretty solid for the genre.

Finished chapter 3 last week and 4 recently in TTYD. The progression in chapter 4 is a little silly (back and forth, back and forth), but it was a really good chapter. Will play more when I can, and probably a little Team Kirby Clash Deluxe too. Also thinking about rewatching Wall-e tonight. We'll see. Happy weekend!

P.S. shout-out to Studio Triggers awesome Transformers 40th anniversary video this week! Worth a watch. https://youtu.be/YoeyfTGI7ik?feature=shared

After finishing up Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance (which was fantastic by the way) I decided to get Ghost of a Tale on Switch and have been having a fun time sneaking around as a mouse in a medieval kingdom.

This weekend is all over the place currently. Lots of "busy time" here and there. But when I can steal away time, I shall be playing...

Kathy Rain: The Director's Cut
This has been in my backlog for a min, and while I don't have the true time this console generation to really play all the point-n-clicks, this one has kept compelling me to play it for some reason.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses
I've selected the Golden Deer for my initial run. Still making my way through the monastery at present, but I'm kinda liking this whole college vibe change of pace with Fire Emblem.

Rocket League
I think I'll be happy when I break back into Silver III rank. Almost there. Had a helluva run the other day. Where oh where did those teammates of mine go...

ActRaiser Resurrection
Moving on to Marahna now. Gonna keep pressing on. This'll be my retro rewind for the weekend.

I started Advance Wars on the Switch. I am currently on mission 6 of the first campaign. I also installed the Master Chief Collection on my PC. I feel like playing through all the games again

This weekend, I'm playing Apollo Justice Ace Attorney Trilogy, where I am just about to start the second trial segment of the second case of Apollo Justice. I am also playing Fire Emblem Awakening, where I am grinding for support points, and Fire Emblem Heroes, where I am slowly approaching the end of Book II.

Just got back from a week-long journey into the mountains with only what I could carry on my back. I've mostly forgotten what it means to be human, but I expect that Famicom Detective Club can remind me.
Might also pick up the new Warhammer 40k game to play with my brothers.

Good morning.
This Sunday I played Wii U games for machine maintenance. ☺
1. Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival
2. Wii U Party

Over the past week I have played

Star Wars Outlaws
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (love playing as Zelda, Mipha and Revali)
Sonic Unleashed
Poke Park

Well here we go with another nice WAYP. Been a nice and cool week around here. Most of the week was just the usual games like Dawntrail and Star Wars. Most of the weekend when not working was taken up by the Grand Festival in Splatoon 3 and more Visions of Mana. Made it to Future Defender rank in Splatoon 3 and the only shame is it’s probably the last Splatfest and I just absolutely love these little things. The way they changed the map too? Excellent. Made it to Chapter 4 surprisingly in Visions of Mana. I say surprisingly because Chapter 1 felt really long while Chapters 2 and 3 were quick. Otherwise I’m thinking this week is mostly gonna consist of some Ace Attorney, Trails Through Daybreak, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, Paper Mario, Bakeru, Dawntrail, Astro Bot, Emio, Star Wars Outlaws and Visions of Mana. Think on my day off I’m gonna crack into Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP so I’m super hype for that. Also got the Original Capcom Fighting Collection on a sale this week so I’m excited to try that. Think this is also the week Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and The Plucky Squire comes out so I’ll be hype for those. Also got some PSN money that I think I’m gonna use to preorder Silent Hill 2 Remake and save some for when Ys X: Nordics comes out I’m very excited for that. Only wrestling thing I wanna mention this week is short and simple. WWE Bad Blood has most of its matches decided like Rhea Vs Liv and Cody with Roman Vs Solo and Jacob and I just can’t wait I’m so hype. Anime of the week gotta go to Nokotan, Alya Sometimes Speaks in Russian, Oshi No Ko and Mission Yozakura Family. Again all of these anime are absolutely killing it they rule. Podcasts of this week gotta go to Castle Superbeast, Big Think Dimension, Into The Aether, RPGsites Tetracast, Minnmax, Jeff Gerstmann, Kit and Krysta, Last Stand Media, Easy Allies, Second Wind, Nextlander, Cultaholic Wrestling, Weapon Wheel, Aetheryte Radio and Remap Radio. As always yall stay safe, be extremely awesome to each other. Have a totally awesome weekend and of course Happy Gaming.

Kinda sad to see still nobody playing Beyond Good & Evil anniversary.
Anyways, the game got 20% discount in Europe. Maybe someone could buy it to help keep Ubisoft afloat in these difficult times.

I am waiting desperately, sadly, for a Switch 2 reveal, from NINTENDO, of ANY kind.

Give me a name Nintendo! Give me the first letter in the name, ANYTHING. Tell me the color of the system, the weight of the system, SOMETHING.

Tell me the Switch 2 price range, not even the exact price, just the range. I'm desperate for ANY real Switch 2 news.

If necessary Nintendo, just lie to me. Give me a false Switch 2 "fact" that I can cling to, until you all are ready to give us a CRUMB of REAL info.

I'm dying out here. Starved of information on this thing. Tell me something about Switch 2 that I will HATE, as long as it's real. I'm begging you, NINTENDO execs.
Have MERCY.

I played Lords of the Fallen on Steam and Emio on Switch

Coming late, but I spent the weekend playing Splatoon 3 for the Grand Festival. Hopefully my team will win for once.