What are we all playing this weekend?
WELL?
After a traditional slow start to the year, video games have picked up and pelted a whole load of great games at us all at once. This week has brought Celeste, Subnautica, Iconoclasts, and The Red Strings Club, and Total Warhammer 2's new expansion - and those are only the ones we've reviewed so far. A good time for good video games.
What are you playing this weekend? Here's what we're clicking on.
Adam: [Adam is legitimately away so, while he's not fired, he is tasked with clearing out Graham's slop bucket for one week -ed.]
Alec: Achtung, baby. Oh no. Oh no. I really just said that, didn't I? Oh God. What I meant to say was 'I'm spinning up the DLC for Wolfenstein 2, which there seems to be bloody loads of all of a sudden', but I ended up saying something SO MUCH WORSE.
Alice: Having won Slay the Spire with both characters, I want to explore more styles for the Ironclad, who I haven't liked as much so far. I am still a little sore about a Silent loss where I ripped through my deck with draw and discard, dealing damage and gaining bonuses all the way, and had barely been scratched on the whole final floor. Then the final boss was the Time Eater, who outright crushes decks built from many small moving pieces. But I do like how card theming makes the Silent feel so rogue-y, leaping and rolling all over while flinging blades and dropping attacks in feints.
And I'm finally about ready to invest in a crime business in GTA Online. This week I've dicked about doing BMX stunts in traffic and over players but I think it's time for crime.
Brendan: I've Slayed the Spire once, with the red trousered swordsman. But I haven't finished it with the poison-toting stab mistress. So I want to do that, then I can happily put it aside until the next character comes out. Matt has also convinced me to socially manipulate some corporate stooges in cyberpunk adventure The Red Strings Club.
Graham: I have started playing Slay The Spire, and so now all I want to play is Slay The Spire. I say this as someone who is not normally into card games, but Spire did a good job on my first life of giving me enough cards that I could start to see how I might craft an interesting and satisfying build. Now I'm trying to do work while thinking about ways to maximise my Strength across turns to swiftly steamroll enemies.
John: I really just want to play Subnautica. I want to keep playing Subnautica forever. I think Subnautica might be my ideal game.
You'll find me amongst the fishies.
Katharine: I completed failed to finish Grow Home last week, so I'll be returning to my giant silly space plant again this weekend to try and get BUD back home once and for all.
Edit: Good gravy, I just remembered The Room: Old Sins finally came out yesterday. Sorry BUD, but you've just been usurped by some deliciously tactile and spooky clockwork puzzles.
Matt: Like everyone else, I'll be aspiring to slay some spires. I've managed to beat Slay the Spire once (on my first try, booyah), so now I'm determined to do it again with the game's other character who uses an entirely different card pool. I reckon she's a little under-powered compared to the knight, but I'm not gonna let that stop me. I'll turn that hexaghost into hexatoast, you mark my words.
But you, dearest reader, what are you playing?