Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but your backlog is so delightful, that you will certainly have something to play over the holiday period. Are you waiting for something new under the Christmas tree? Or will you hunker down and play your favourite titles as that’s just a little more cosy. I’ll be continuing my own cosy return to Monster Hunter World, which has come back into regular rotation thanks to the fact that the end game is still more satisfying and in depth that Monster Hunter Wilds. That said, there’s a new update there, so I’ll check that out over the weekend too. Besides that, I’ve really enjoyed Neon Inferno, Rogue Trader, Aaero2: Black Razor Edition and Demeo X Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked with Tef which has kept things pretty varied.
Jason was the first to pop in, and he’s been playing Shape of Dreams, calling it, “A really fun roguelike with MOBA-style abilities you can customise with gems and a really nice aesthetic.” That’s not all though, as he continued, “I’ve also downloaded a bunch of games to my Steam Deck, and am hoping to get through some Shadow of Wardor too in the brief window of time off I have.”
Tuffcub has returned to his regular stomping ground by playing Destiny 2 just a little bit, but he’s mostly playing the annual favourite “How do I keep both my mother and the mother-in-law happy over Christmas.” He’s also been playing a game of ‘getting the stupidest gifts possible.’ He explains, “My cat is giving my boyfriend a year’s supply of antihistamines as he’s allergic to cats.” Sounds pretty thoughtful for a cat.
Having finished Dispatch this week, Gamoc said, “It’s great, but too short and too episodic! Playing through it is like playing MGS5, with all the repeating credits and stuff.” He’s also tried a litany of things: CloverPit (Balatro for slot machines), News Tower, Megabonk, This Ain’t Even Poker, Ya Joker (an idle clicker with cards and poker hands), Destropolis, and Mycopunk, with the latter he said, “It seems really good but my PC barely runs it.” He also played ‘starting Stranger Things from the beginning since it’s now finally finishing’. His review? “Pretty good.”
Aran has been playing Star Wars Outlaws. He says, “I’ve only had it since last Christmas… I’m enjoying it just exploring the planets, flying around space, and completing contracts as I go.”
Next up was Ade, and told us, “Along with playing the roguelike Wizards of Legend 2 with Laura (surely we must be getting close to defeating the first boss?!) I’ve also been on with the online coop shenanigans of Warhammer 40k Darktide (such a fun game!) And Metroid Prime 4.” He continues, “With Metroid Prime, I really can’t decide if I like it yet! Exploration is as brilliant as any other game in the series but there’s also a lot of fairly weak combat to slog through. Also, I can’t get over why this advanced species of psychic aliens are obsessed with motorbikes, so much so that the suit they’ve given to Sames makes her look like she’s competing in the Isle of Man TT. It’s a bit weird.”
Steve has been getting back to clearing some of his physical media as he spent time in bed recovering from his bout of flu. What did he get up to? “I set up my 360 on an old monitor with headphone output and ploughed through the boring God of War clone Hellboy and the Science of Evil (only to discover that the real ending of the game is locked behind DLC that is no longer available…). I then started Quantum Theory which is the most 2010 game ever. Lots of Gears of War corridors and waist-high cover. In less physical gaming I played through some demos that were lurking from the last Next Fest to clear some hard drive space. And finally, I sat and played Sword of the Sea through which was a wonderfully chill and meditative time with awesome visuals and music.”
Laura received a lovely treat from Ade: unadulterated horror! He thoughtfully bought Silent Hill f for her birthday this week. She said, “It’s been great fun going straight from Silent Hill 2 into playing the new one. I’m loving the traditional Silent Hill vibes but set in 1960s Japan. Everything I loved from 2, with spot-on tweaks to the gameplay elements. A birthday treat indeed!”
Jim has been dipping in and out of a few games this week. I started by finishing up Ghost of Yotei which doesn’t have the most exciting ending, but I’m looking forward to exploring the open world and cross off some more bounties. I’ve now started playing Mafia: The Old Country which does an excellent job of slowly easing you into its early 1900s Sicilian setting – it’s been a couple of hours and I still haven’t fired a gun! Speaking of guns, I pulled the trigger and dove into Arc Raiders. For a PvP extraction shooter, the other players I’ve come across have all been surprisingly friendly, leading to cool impromptu encounters, helping each other take down Arcs and haul our loot to the exit zones.
Miguel kept things short and sweet by playing a bunch of Fear & Hunger: Termina, and a pinch of Fortnite, and finally, I gave it away in the opening, but Tef’s main gaming this week has been Demeo X Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked.
Now then, what have you played this week?
