Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 4-5)

Gonna try and march on through the final chapter of Xenoblade 3 on Switch, as well as some Big Run on Splatoon 3.
Not really anything on playstation or Xbox at the moment. I was tempted to return to Elden Ring but where would I find the time for that right now?

Batman Arkham Asylum, got about 4 chapters left.

Sudden Strike. Best game on GWG for ages.

Octopath Traveler 2 on Switch and Like A Dragon Ishin on Series X.

I completed the main story in Hogwarts Legacy, so I might start cleaning up the bandit camps and other stuff lol. My boyfriend is crazy about Apex Legends so I might jump into a couple of matches with him.
Have a great weekend everyone!

I am still making my way through Persona 4 golden 😅 I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t feel like a slog at times. The dungeons I find really dull compared to 5.

Also started Octopath 2 on PS5. Loving that one so far. I started out as Thronè.

Work has been kicking my ass recently so I have very little energy and concentration to put into games at the moment.

Fortunately for me Diablo 3 launched season 28. D3 is a game I can play without needing to think about it too much while still feeling i have achievable goals I can progress towards, no matter how little time I might put into it.

@FraserG most folks would agree that Diablo 2 Resurrected is a better "Diablo" game than D3.

However if you just want to play a game with your brain in neutral and still have fun blowing stuff up I find D3 is almost perfect in that regard.

Hope you find you first foray into the Diablo universe a fun one.

Wo Long, and so far it's everything I wanted from it. Glad one of my most anticipated games this year came out awesome

This weekend I was planning on splitting my time up between Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and Octopath Traveler II but the latter is just too damn good, and I can’t pull myself away from it. This game has been consuming my thoughts even while I’m at work because I find it that good. And I know when I comment on this forum every week, I tend to write mini reviews. This week won’t be any different because I’m in awe of this game.

It has improved so much from its counterpart. For starters, all of the characters are fascinating and well realized. Their personalities really shine through minimal dialogue, and their motivations for the reason of their journey make sense.

Speaking of the core cast - I’m 20-hours in and I have acquired all characters, completed their opening chapter, and have unlocked the ability for a secondary job. And I’m not even remotely burned out, which is a feat in and of itself.

It’s unclear if these branching storylines will connect together to tell a singular cohesive story but it’s okay if they don’t because it’s the moment-to-moment gameplay along with strong character writing that has me coming back; not the overall narrative. Would it be nice if the game magically ties everything together? Yes; but it’s not something that will make me judge the game harshly unless it completely dismantles everything it has built.

One thing I love about OT2 is that it respects your time, particularly with NPC interactions. Oftentimes, you’ll find a lot of lengthy conversations that are ultimately meaningless and tiresome (I’m looking at you, Trails series). In this case, most NPCs have a single text bubble, or two at the most, all the while getting straight to the point and still managing to provide a good sense of world building. That is a testament to how brilliant the writing is in this game. The only downfall is, similarly to the first game, is that side quests are quite vague. I wish there was more direction on how to complete some of them.

Another aspect that I find fantastic is that it’s not overwhelming. All of the systems and mechanics are gradually introduced, and yet they aren’t convoluted at all. It’s one of those situations where you’ll get as much out of the game as you’re willing to put in, and if you dive deeply in you will be greatly rewarded.

Overall—though I haven’t completed the game yet, I think it’s an essential game for all JRPG fans. The combat is sublime; the soundtrack is fantastic; the characters and their personal stories are excellently written; and the game respects your time. All in all, if the game continues to impress me further down the line, I might consider this one of the best RPGs ever made.

Finishing off Hogwarts...its been fun!

Persona 4 golden and power wash simulator. That game is soooooo relaxing!

Octopath Traveler 2, Hogwarts Legacy and Samurai Maiden on PS5

And Metroid Prime Remastered and Fire Emblem Engage on the switch

I'm stil playing Mass Effect 2, What a great game..

I'm playing gears of war 3 and also GOW ragnarok on PS5.

I’ve returned to Dead Cells in preparation for the Castlevania DLC, which launches on Monday. For some reason I keep switching between the Xbox, PlayStation and Switch versions. I just love the game. Other than that, I’ll definitely be checking out Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty on Series X. Wish me luck! 😬

Forza Horizon 5 🤗

Picked up Watch Dogs Legion on the Series X so I'll be giving that a good, and starting the Saints Row reboot, see if it's as bad as everyone says

Wo Long for me. It's more or less what I expected. Great fun. Defeated the fifth boss so far, some of them in my first try and I'm not that good.
I'm also playing Guardians before it leaves Game Pass, same with Paradise Killer.

After 100% Pirate’s Life in Sea of Thieves we’re doing the original Tall Tales now. We’d not done this content before. Last night was The Shroudbreaker and tonight we’ll give The Cursed Rogue a go. I’m really looking forward to the 2023/season 9 stream on Monday!

I might do a little bit of Halo Infinite too before season 3 starts on Tuesday.

Still playing Atomic Heart, working my way though the game. It's great IMO, a few issues here and there, it's not perfect, but I have been really enjoying the world they created and it's kept me interested enough to keep going. Changing the voiceovers to Russian really helped a lot as well, makes everything feel a lot more soviet, and the dialogue is a lot better.

Mostly chained echoes and GTA V. I tried wo long and failed miserably. Might grab something on the store front, just not sure what to grab. Re Village maybe?

@BlackMayge man. The music in Octopath 2 is phenomenal, a real highlight. I’m loving the game too agree with all you’ve said.

Playing Wo Long, but the other post about which was the best February game pass addition reminded me I want to try Soul Hackers 2. So I'll probably give that a try as well. Games like Wo Long I can only do for shorter sessions. I like something more relaxed to take a break when I get too sweaty, so hopefully Soul Hackers fits that bill.

Also, I have one achievement left in Dicey Dungeons so I might give that a few tries, although it's just hunting rng for a specific equipment so it's not really engaging at this point.

I've just started Assassin's Creed Odyssey so gunna put some time into that. I did try Wo Long but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Bought Sherlock Holmes chapter 1 and started to play it with the wife. So far it's a hit junky but we are liking regardless

Wo Long - I'm terrible, struggling with the second phase on the first boss, but keep going back for more!

Midnight Suns - after 26 hours I think I'm about to finish Act 1.

Wo long... Almost non-stop...

Jetpack Joyride (Windows Phone) - Still trying to get in daily runs.

Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition (Windows Phone) - Finally at the end now.

Hitman GO (Windows Phone) - I've been really enjoying these levels enough, that I go back and try to improve my scores.

I'm sick this weekend so I'll be getting into Atomic Heart, MW2, DBZ Kakarot and probably some cities skylines.

@JayJ Hey, mate! Would you please clarify something regarding Atomic Heart's English voices? Is it that bad? I'm Brazilian, so, obviously, I'm not an English native speaker. What exactly is the problem here? Could you give me some details?

@Kaloudz

Hey, congratulations, man! I see you finally kicked that guy's ass. A lot easier after that, eh?

I'm at the fifth boss and now I'm the one that's stuck haha. Gonna take a break and try again later.

@OldgamerDave For some reason it seems like they changed a lot of the main characters dialogue when you leave the voiceovers in English. I have seen videos where people played the same parts of the game that I played, and no joke the dialogue from the main character is completely different most of the time and it's a change that is definitely for the worst. If you play the game in Russian the main character feels a lot more serious and focused, while in English for some reason they decided to make him some whiny antihero character with an attitude. Heck I don't even like the English voice actors either, they sound way too American for a game set in an alternative reality Soviet Russia.

Still playing Hogwarts Legacy Main Story for now.

Playing Wo Long and it’s fantastic. Really, really struggled with that first boss. Probably died 50 times. But finally got past it and understand that it’s a lot easier going forward. They really should tone down that boss. It’s going to turn a lot of people off.

But loving the fast paced combat, spells, etc. This might go down as one of my favorite Soulsborne type games (though nothing will likely every surpass Elden Ring).

Amazing get for GamePass!!!

@JayJ I see! Thanks for the info, friend. I'm going to change the voices to Russian and see it for myself, then.

Tried to continue playing Hogwarts Legacy, but the latest patch has completely ruined the game, so replaying Dead Space remake.

Hogwarts Legacy! Great game, easily holding my interest since release.

Hifi Rush which is a blast. Also just picked up Metroid Prime remastered. One of the best games ever made.

Series: Wo Long and Halo
Switch: Nothing
PS5: Nothing (I 100% Control the other day)

Playing Wo Long and it's more fun than I expected. I agree with others that it is so much easier after the first boss, but I like it!

I think whereas the environments are a bit dull and the story is painful to watch; what the game does right is the action. The sounds of the clashing of swords really immerses you in each battle, and the pace is incredible once you get into the rhythm.

Additionally I understand reviewers hate for the loot system, which can get overwhelming. Personally I enjoy it - a bit too much loot at times, but reminds me of diablo where the loot can allow you to build a more personalised playstyle.

Currently, I'm at stage 2, and have just defeated the sorcerer boss (not leaving names in case it's spoilerry)

@Kaloudz

Glad you finally beat him! I have like 30-something of those items without farming, but then again I'm a little more far into the game so maybe it's not as much as I thought.

Oh yeah, the companion's AI sucks. I had to look up some tips for that fifht boss (not one useful sadly) and one of those was "use your companion to lure the boss away from you". Yeah, right. That didn't work at all.
It was a nuisance. It was hard. Died a lot of times. I didn't feel it was unfair though. Just that the other bosses were a little on the easier side.
I finally killed it before going to sleep so all's well. I think if you had the patience and perseverance to kill the first one, you'll be able to kill this one too. You're just gonna die a few times, haha.

I’ve been in a bit of an Xbox lull ! I always have the intention to play some games on the system but I just never get around to it. I still have MW2 and Elden Ring in their packaging! It’s that bad lol. I’ve been mainly gaming on my Switch so there’s some method to the madness. I think Gamepass is a great service if not overwhelming to find time for all those offerings. I’ll need to work out a system that will have me taking advantage of the value it offers, this gen got off to a slower start but there’s still a ton of great games on deck.

1st world problems y’all! 😂

@Kaloudz

It was the fifth boss, so stage 5 I think. Isn't the hidden village 4? Now I'm not sure haha. You'll face a crocodile-like demon in that stage, you'll know what I mean.

About the stats when you level up, you get the option to respec later, so you can fix/try other builds. I haven't tried it yet so I don't know if it's free or you have to pay some coppers or something.

So far I mainly put my points on Fire and Lightning with a little on I think it was wood? For more weight capacity.

I have the same problem with the companions, I don't know which one to level up!

I played Wo Long for about an hour. I thought it looked and played as if it was not finished. Once you play a From Software game, it's very hard to play something that is similar from another developer. Quit and uninstalled it, not for me. So, I'm playing Elden Ring again on my Series X.

@Fraserg I wasn't sure Diablo was for me then I played through Diablo 3 with a friend and was completely hooked! I'm also not a Marvel guy at all (behind on about 20 films now?!) but I agree the Guardians of the Galaxy game is fantastic, much better than the film.

I'm also not a Harry Potter fan - missed the boat on that one BUT I took a chance with Hogwarts Legacy and it's fantastic; makes me nostalgic for my youth and the thousand year old boarding school I was lucky enough to attend. Throw in some fantasy and magic and it's just great escapism.
I'm going to try Wo Long tomorrow. I never finished a Souls type game but I'll give it another crack as I will with my current ten hours in Elden Ring eventually.

@Kaloudz

What side missions?

After googling: Oh sh#t! Hahaha, boy am I stupid! I was still expecting to unlock side missions... I didn't realize it I had them all this time! Well, gotta do them all at once now! Thanks for mentioning them!

And yeah, the stats are a little confusing. And the spells ask for a lot of specializing in one thing.

Maybe I'll try maxing some of the others. Liu Bei should be Light armor, or at least medium I think?

I haven't gotten that key yet! I think. I thought it was on the village though!
I have some stuff to do when I get back to it.

@Pepa27 I can’t defeat the boss’ second phase either. Spent way too many hours on it. Even got my morale up to 25, eg hard enough to one shot the big rat thing but still can’t time the deflections enough to beat Zhang. Keep wanting to give up, then try another tactic but it’s not working.

@Kaloudz I've watched every YT video I can find and tried every tactic, eg pole arms, sabres, wooden cudgel, double blades, max armour, robes, pants, block, deflect, block + deflect. I just can't time the deflection on red attacks more than once per battle, therefore I can land only one fatal strike.

I've seen so many players somehow deflect red attacks so they kind of jump sideways out of the way, but I've only achieved that literally twice in maybe 50 battles! Insane. And I've completed 75% of Dark Souls 3 so I just don't get why I can't time it.

And I've farmed myself to something like Level 13 and even upped my morale to 25!