What are we all playing this weekend?
Well?
Happy Eurovision day, everyone! Today, musicians from across Europe and beyond come together to give it their all, with varying degrees of catchiness, camp, and drama. Honestly, this year's contest better be amazing, considering some great songs have already been knocked out before the finals. I was particularly surprised by the loss of Austria's pop goths and Latvia's song with the most surprising obscene opening line in pop history. If that's the quality of song being rejected, they BETTER NOT have any boring junk in the finals. But we have hours to fill until Eurovision starts, so what are you playing this weekend?
Alice Bee
I have not been able to get above 2% on my current Jigsaw Puzzle Dreams puzzle (it is a 6k piece puzzle of a slice of rainbow cake. I have started the green layer, which is the smallest). But cheating at cards 'em up Card Shark has a playable demo so I'm going to give that a go between staring at different shades of lime. Everyone who has played Card Shark has raved about it, so I am interested.
Alice0
I've finally signed up for Game Pass, with a view to covering it more in my shiny new Associate Editor role, so I'm digging through the 7/10 weirdos and I guess blockbusters too. But beyond that, I really need to finish my novel ahead of my movie pitch with a certain director whose name sounds similar to Peaven Wheelberg.
CJ
The Overlord expansion for Stellaris just landed along with the 'Cepheus' update and will most likely get my attention at some point in the evenings. We're off to see Doctor Strange being multiversal, and Eurovision is happening too, so not sure when. Oh, and Lawn Mowing Simulator is beckoning so I'm probably going to be trimming the grass.
Ed
I've finally acquired a PS5! Which means I'm finally getting around to playing... the PS4 version of Judgment! There couldn't be a more perfect time to utilise the immense power of the PlayStation 5!
Hayden
I've never watched anything Evil Dead before, but I'm always up for some co-op fun with pals. Hopefully, it's a good primer on everything Evil Dead so I'm not too lost. The launch trailer shows plenty of chainsaws, shotguns, and grotesque monsters, so I think I know what I'm getting into. Oh, and a skeleton playing the flute. I'm sold!
James
I've been getting into Touhou fangames recently, and am currently employing the Steam Deck to fumble my way through the Metroidvania-ish Touhou Luna Nights. Next up, I'm thinking Gensokyo Night Festival - it's apparently been abandoned to early access purgatory, but the chunk that's playable does look pretty tasty.
Katharine
I'm going to be playing the Hard West 2 beta this weekend, because boy howdy do I love me some tactical cowboy games. I never played the original, but I'm intrigued to see just how much it is / is not like Desperados 3. Expect more thoughts next week.
Liam
I restarted Monster Hunter Rise on PC last week and goodness me, that game absolutely sings when played on one of those personal computers. Rise always felt like a more intimate experience compared to the grand scale of World (which made it the perfect fit for the Switch) but despite playing on PC I'm still digging its laid-back atmosphere and calming vibes. I predict many happy hours grinding for resources while listening to Kendrick's new album on repeat over the course of this weekend. Bliss.
Ollie
Season 13 of Apex is out now, and I've been having a lot of fun hopping around everywhere as Newcastle, the new Legend. I've also been trying out those new IMC Armouries. Man, they're strong. They can upgrade you to nearly endgame loot and gear within the first couple minutes of a match. They might actually be a little bit too strong.
Rebecca
My parents are visiting this weekend, and weather-permitting we plan to be typical Midlanders when confronted with the south coast, which means going to stare intently at the sea for a while in fascinated mistrust. A little local sightseeing in my adopted home region makes a welcome change from gaming the whole weekend away, although I imagine I'm going to have to show off the wonders of our new PS5 while we have house guests, if only to answer the inevitable question of "why is there a massive router in your living room?"
But you, reader dear, what are you playing this weekend?