It’s Friday already? In a week that seems to have disappeared like a ghost into Luigi’s vacuum cleaner, we’re back to rounding up what we’ve been playing. I’ve had a busy old week, and a big part of that was thanks to Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. It’s easily the best Stories game so far, and if you’re a fan of Monster Hunter, it might just provide a palette cleanser after Wilds. Besides that, I’ve had a good batch of multiplayer gaming, hooking up with different members of TSA for some Marathon and Toxic Commando blasting. To be honest, I like both of them, though whether they’ll steal me from Overwatch in the long run, remains to be seen.
Aran has been playing Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth and he’s dived into the Sujimon side quest completely. He says, “I’m trying to get all the Sujimon and level them up. I’ve managed to get the first two gym badges and I’m grinding out battles for the next gym.”
Tef was very excited to tell me that he’s been playing Pokopia. I think he likes it. He’s also been playing the less cosy Toxic Commando and Ready or Not’s new DLC. He told me, “It now has a level at an amusement pier, which is such a tropey horror movie setting that I’ve decided tactical shooters can be horror games.”
Meanwhile, Jim has been playing more Avowed which he says, “Has gently gotten its hooks into me. It feels like a cross between Dragon Age: Inquisition and an Elder Scrolls game, but with more reactive combat and environments which are intuitively explorable. I’ve also been playing a fair chunk of Marathon and, after getting my bearings (getting my ass handed to me for a few solid hours) I’m really starting to dig what Bungie are doing now that a lot of the game’s extraction shooter quirks are ingrained in my mind.”
Gamoc has had a buisy week, with Greedfall The Dying World, Toxic Commando, Sovereign Syndicate, Esoteric Ebb, Dwarf Fortress, and Spider-Man 2 on his plate. He made sure to tell us, “Esoteric Ebb is fantastic!” Over in the US, Miguel has also played a whole hell of a lot of Marathon, and some Toxic Commando with Tef!
Nic B has been playing the hell out of Pokopia, telling us, “The game has somewhat taken over my life”.
TC has also been on the Marathon train, saying, “I kinda sorta like it and want to play more.” He’s also played Silent Hill 2 Remake which he didn’t quite feel as positive about, “Sorry everyone, it’s boring as hell. There is a reason why games are not designed like that anymore. Without the nostalgia appeal (I think I played the original for about 5 mins) it’s a lot of wandering around maps with dead ends and one or two enemies because that’s all consoles could manage at the time.”
Jason has got out of his gaming funk, though it took a little time to get going. He says, “Despite my initial feelings that it was more of the same, Slay the Spire 2 has hooked me. The co-op is a massive addition, and there is a lot of cool new builds and bits once you’ve been playing for a couple of hours. Why that’s not all presented up front is beyond me though. I’ve also been hovering over starting Veilguard again. Does that count as playing a game? Who knows!” Probably? Yes?
Steve played the “excellent” Fatal Frame II, a smattering of Resident Evil VII on Switch 2, and dipped into the “fun-but-basic” Starship Troopers FPS, a bunch of a mystery game with an upgrade, and some of the usual indie horror demos and new releases. In the meantime he’s also tempted by 1348 Ex Voto but thinks it might need a bit of patching first.
Ade and Laura have been playing Towerborne. Ade told us, “It’s a fantastic side-scrolling action RPG with local coop from the Banner Saga devs. Great characters, crunchy combat, and it looks like a Studio Ghibli production, what’s not to like, right?”
And finally, Reuben dropped in to say he’s just been playing RE: Requiem this week. He told us, “I’m absolutely blown away by it. Not finished it yet, but been enjoying it so much so far.”
How about you? What have you been playing?
