Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 25-26)

So far all I know I'm going to play is resident evil 4 separate ways after that I really don't know!
Hopefully I find something might start resident evil 2 remake not feeling modern warfare so far the campaign is just full of big clusterf*** battles and the is multiplayer kinda boring!
Maybe I'll go back to hogwarts and finish that game off I'm sure I'll find something ha happy weekend folks!

It's been a year since I was subscribed to Game Pass, but after the price cut of Ultimate, I felt like it was worth being subscribed again and so I am now.

Will be playing CoD: Modern Warfare (2019) as it's been such a long time since I played a CoD. I'll also be checking out Keeper and 1000xRESIST if I have time or if I want something besides CoD to play.

It's great to be back playing on Xbox again! Happy gaming!

So far, my vacation has been fantastic. I did what I set out to do—clean up my garage, and get a lot of yard work done. And play games, lots and lots of games.

First off, I beat Pragmata (Xbox Series X). What a sublime experience. It may outshine Resident Evil Requiem for me which I did not expect. Capcom does something that no other current developer does: make me want to replay a game immediately after I beat it.

So, what’s the hook for this new IP? The combat. It’s really innovative. It’s a third person shooter with hacking mechanics all in one package. I was skeptical about how this would work in a proper firefight, but you’re never overwhelmed with enemies. There is a perfect balance that could have easily dismantled its entire focus, but thankfully it doesn’t. The combat also evolves with time, adding depth to the gameplay. You’ll consistently unlock new weapons, hacking nodes that caters to your style of play, and other surprises along the way.

There are finishing executions when an enemy gets weak, but there is only one variation. It’s kind of disappointing because it looks so stylish. If there were more animations with different weapons then it wouldn’t be an issue. It just gets repetitive after a while.

Exploration is also satisfying. There are five biomes to explore, each of which is approximately three hours each, maybe a little longer depending on if you go off the beaten path. If you do you’ll find benefits — new weapons, modifications, abilities, items for your shelter that liven the place up, and a lot of well written lore.

Some places are inaccessible at first, but similarly to Metroidvanias, you’ll acquire new abilities that allow you to explore areas later down the line. Thankfully, there are many checkpoint areas, so you’re able to do a quick clean up on the things you’ve missed. It took me roughly 14 hours to beat the game and find all collectibles without a guide.

The story is endearing. From all of the trailers I thought your companion, Diana, would be cumbersome and annoying. For some people, they may find this to be accurate. If you can tolerate her you will find a relatively emotional connection with her growth as a character.

Some story elements don’t always land. Pragmata pays homage to Dead Space, particularly in its opening hours — you’ll see posters on walls to emphasize this even more— and by this I mean you will succumb to horrifying loss. As such, the main protagonist, Hugh, whilst he comments on incidents that happen throughout the game, it’s his delivery, or lack there of, that isn’t handled well. You don’t feel his pain and suffering so it’s hard to relate; instead the focus is more on the “father/daughter” dynamic which is really solid.

• Tomb Raider III
• Lunark
• Maybe Sea of Thieves or Hi-Fi Rush

In addition to beating Pragmata, I booted up Stalker 2 and loaded up an old save (I beat the game when it first released, and played 120-hours). I wanted to try out the new quest-lines that were added. This was more troublesome than I anticipated; it’s not a game you can hop back in a year later and feel comfortable. I was using med-kits when I wanted to turn on my flashlight. I wanted to fast travel, but I couldn’t until I got to a base of operations, yet that was harder than expected. I would try to run to my marker and die by anomalies and radiation. I eventually got my bearings after googling the controls, completed the new quests, and unlocked a few achievements. I can’t wait for its expansion.

Meanwhile, Hades 2 released on Game Pass. I’ve put in over 80-hours on the Switch version, but since Supergiant updated the game with new content I couldn’t resist starting a fresh playthrough. I’ve already experienced new events. Once again, I’m unabashedly addicted.

Here I am, five days left of my vacation. I was unsure what to start next. Despite my reservations due to the size of the game, I finally gave Crimson Desert a chance. All of my X/Twitter feeds have been praising the game, and the patches from the developer have been nothing but outstanding. It’s my type of game, but I still didn’t know what to expect.

Let me get the obvious out of the way: it’s overwhelming and mechanically complicated. There are so many systems at work, and they can overlap each other with the controls. With that said, I am already immersed in this beautiful and mysterious world. It’s similar to Red Dead Redemption 2 with its freedom and interactivity, and Dragon’s Dogma 2, one of my favorite games of all time, with focusing heavily on player agency and developing your own tale. I can predict that once I get used to the controls this could potentially be an all-timer for me.

I need to jump back onto Mass Effect and finish the first one as I took a recent detour back into Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Just started Toxic Commando, and enjoying that so far, some Ark Survival Ascended and Narita Boy. Have a good weekend!

I am mainly waiting for the launch of the new expansion for Diablo 4 that comes out on Tuesday.

I did play the campaign of CoD Modern Warfare. Who thought it was a good idea to make you have to download multiplayer & coop maps just so you can play a single player campaign, Sheesh 🙄. No interest in multiplayer and deleted everything as soon as I had done the campaign

The recent announcement for a new Metro game made me download Metro 2033 Redux so I expect I will put some time into that over the weekend. Will also try to put some more time into my current *Oblivion Remastered" run.

But really I am just passing time till Tuesday and Diablo 4.

Pushing towards 100 days’ survival in The Long Dark. Spending a few more days gathering up supplies in Coastal Highway before heading up to Pleasant Valley, then, all being well, on to Timberwolf Mountain although I’d like to reach 100 days first.

As always, more Mewgenics and more Pokémon Champions. I clawed my way up to Master Ball tier in Ranked Doubles with a massive (and lucky) win streak. Maybe I'll see if I can get to Champion tier within the season's two remaining weeks, maybe I'll just move on to Ranked Singles.

Other than that, I'm right at the end of Mafia: The Old Country, so I'll finish that today. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that game yet, honestly. It's got a lot going for it, but at the same time it's got a lot wrong with it.

Edit: I just found out that to reach Champion tier I have to get into the top 300 trainers. Yeah, that ain't happening 🤣