Time to look back on the week we’ve just had! What did the weekdays look like for our writers? What was the biggest news from the week? and what are we looking forward to playing during the upcoming weekend? Our Eyes on the Week article will answer all three of these questions!
We’re curious about your opinion and played games, so be sure to share your stuff on our social media channels!
Victoria
After disassembling one bed and assembling another, I have been quite tired this week but a mixture of smaller titles managed to occupy me when I was able to game, starting off with Galaxy Shooter DX. A pretty straightforward arcade shoot-’em-up that I found to be great fun. It had variation, upgrades, and just a really good atmosphere to enjoy. It took me just under six hours to complete the entire 1000G.
Secondly, I played Akka Arrh for review; that can be read just [HERE] if you’re interested. An Atari classic concept that has been brought into the modern day of arcade gaming. I enjoyed the gameplay and concept but unfortunately, I did suffer from eye strain and numerous headaches/migraines which wasn’t ideal. It’ll certainly spark your visual senses, there is no denying that!
Next was Ballotron Oceans – yes, an easy completion that took me a mere thirteen minutes. I didn’t play for the gamerscore, though it was an added bonus; I actually played it to work towards one of my monthly medals on TrueAchievements as the title update timing luckily worked in my favour. A fun game with a basic idea that I wish was a little more complex.
Finally, I started Hidden Shapes: Animals + Lovely Cats and it’s a beautiful game. Simply rotating small details to create a bigger image was incredibly relaxing but the fact animals and cats were included just made it that much better for me. I intend on finishing the remaining puzzles today and over the weekend. Also, Colombo did write a short review in one of our Tidbits for this game that you can read [HERE].
Most exciting news of this week: Plenty! Atlas Fallen gameplay has been revealed, Coffee Talk Episode 2 and Ghostwire: Tokyo are being released on Xbox Games Pass Day One, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre getting an August release date! I know what I’ll be playing on my birthday hopefully.
Looking forward to playing: Diablo IV Early Access, Hidden Shapes: Animals + Lovely Ctas, Green Hell, GTA V, and Moonlighter. I also want to clear up some achievements for A Space for the Unbound.
Robby
My week has mostly been a repeat of the last one, still chugging along in Wo Long (I’m probably not very good at it if a mini-boss can kick my ass..) and I also played a bit of Atomic Heart, but it’s currently failing to keep me interested.
The only new title I’ve started, well the kids, is Peppa Pig World Adventures. A short point & pig title that’s perfect for my 4yo son, it’s just walking left or right and pressing the A button to interact with things. You can look forward to the little rascals reviewing it somewhere next week!
Most exciting news of this week: Ghostwire Tokyo coming to Xbox Game Pass soon was great news, I’m looking forward to checking it out.
Looking forward to playing: I’m excited to start Resident Evil 4 Remake next week. I just hope I can find enough time for it.
Colombo
This week I got to play Mayhem in Single Valley for an upcoming review that’s going to be featured in our next Tidbits. It’s not exactly what I expected, in a good way, and it’s a pretty fun game to play.
I also played a bit more of Ni no KuniWrath of the White Witch Remastered, and I’m still pretty interested in it (thankfully), I’m sure I’m very far from finishing it though, I only have about 8h on it as of when I’m writing this.
Most exciting news of this week: Other than more of the ABK deal drama, I don’t remember seeing anything that interesting this week.
Looking forward to playing: More Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch Remastered and maybe something else.
Thomas
I’ve been slowly building this craving to go back to space over the last couple of weeks. Sure, my trip to the moon in Final Fantasy XIV was… let’s call it fun… but rather short-lived. No, it was time to dust off my throttle and flight stick and let them assume their place on my desk once more.
Elite Dangerous Odyssey is back on the menu boys! I’m glad I stopped when I did. I was approaching a proper burnout with it, but am cautiously positive I’m back in the proverbial saddle. Looks like a full-blown war has broken out between humans and thargoids in my absence. Not quite ready to dive head-first into that I’ve been sorting out my fleet, gathering materials to make the necessary ship builds to lend my aid to the human cause.
Despite going back to my old love, I still put a good amount of time into Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker and did a bit more of the main story. I got served up not one but two scenes that got the waterworks flowing on overtime. As well as a moment or two that change depending on what side stories you’ve cleared. I’ve done a lot of them, which resulted in quite the “avengers assemble” scene quite alike the one in Endgame. Sorta. My relic weapon also saw more time and effort poured into it, but the end is in sight now.
Most exciting news of this week: Rumors I read about years ago just turned out to be true, Persona 5 is getting its own mobile gacha game with Persona 5: The Phantom X. I’m cautiously optimistic to learn more, as it can really go anywhere from here.
Looking forward to playing: Elite Dangerous Odyssey! Because 2 days into picking up the game again I left for The Netherlands to watch some friends’ pet while they’re visiting family abroad.
Genethical
I ended up going back to Prince of Persia as I had planned, but I actually started a playthrough of the, at the time, not very liked reboot “Prince of Persia (2008)“. Making the game work in Windows 10 was a bit of a hassle, but after getting an old VcRedist from Microsoft’s site, the thing works like a charm.
I am honestly surprised at how well it holds up. Its cel-shaded graphics prove, once again, that aesthetics will always trump graphical fidelity when it comes to ageing. Back when it was released, the game was lambasted for its easy difficulty, which is the one gripe I have with it. I don’t believe it should be more punishing, but it should offer more challenge in its platforming segments. Combat could be made much more interesting without the massive slow-downs when you get parried too.
Overall, I’m quite happy that I returned to this franchise I already loved, and I’ll try to go through the others whenever I find the time. It also made me think that sometimes we can be too entitled as players, or at the very least stubborn. Embracing change and trying to find the joy in it instead of clinging hard to tradition can be seen as bowing your head, but it can also lead to a happier experience.
Most exciting news of this week: Here’s where I cheat a little since I couldn’t get my writing in time last week. Pro-Japanese Fighting game players have formed a union! With the state of esports and how corporate greed is running the entire show, I think it’s time the little guys start to stand up for themselves. Of course, this could only originate in Japan, where the presence and the money that the fighting game circles have is massive compared to the West. Hopefully, this will lead to positive changes within fighting game tournaments that can then trickle down to other genres.
Looking forward to playing: Atelier Ryza 3 is right around the corner!
Hello, I’m Victoria. I’m from the UK and have been playing video games for as long as I can remember; back on DreamCast. I’ve pretty much fallen for Xbox since I was around eight years old and remember BioShock being my first game on the Xbox360. Although I find it thoroughly enjoyable to not only experience gameplay, I also find comfort in getting lost and engrossed in the online worlds that sometimes differ greatly from what we know. Another side of my Xbox passion would be achievement hunting and gamerscore. I thrive when I hear the little sound of one popping up on the screen and I’m always finding ways to work on my backlog when possible. Horror is my favourite genre so if you have any recommendations, don’t be afraid to send them my way!