It’s 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
A mixed variety of games were played this week and that was due to me not knowing what to play and needing to complete my TrueAchievement medals for the month. I’ll start off with the enjoyable but rather annoying Burger Chef Tycoon. Annoying you say? Yes, and all because I failed to get 3 stars on one level which then locked me out of obtaining this and the achievement for obtaining all over achievements. This meant an entire reset and completing the game again from scratch. Thankfully, a playthrough took around 7-8 hours so it could’ve been much worse. Anyway, it’s done and dusted now…
Now, onto an old classic which I’ve never had the pleasure of playing until now – Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. I’ve found it fun. However, the collectables side of me is dying inside, knowing I can’t obtain all the boxes on my first run-through of all the levels. The levels are definitely getting more frustrating but I’m still determined to get through the game. I do, however, have no desire to go for the completion due to the time trials. No. Thank. You.
I’ve recently been itching to tackle more of my backlog so I went back to Silver Chains and completed the main game. I then restarted to obtain the couple I was missing. I also went back to SongPop Party, successfully managing to get an achievement which has been quite difficult for scoring 950+ points. I actually got this using the 2010’s #1 Hits Playlist. I’ve also rekindled my love for Stardew Valley which I will be playing on and off for the foreseeable.
Most interesting news of this week: Gamescom! Seeing the trailer for The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020, the announcement of Borderlands 4, a release date for Genshin Impact, a new trailer for Age of Mythology Retold and a new Mafia game?! So much to look forward to!
Looking forward to playing: Stardew Valley and my backlog for the meantime.
Aaron
This week I finished up Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and also Rise of the Ronin. Both were really heavy on the RPG slog, but since both are very dear to my heart I carried on & beat them both.
The rebirth platinum trophy was one of the hardest I ever had to get with multiple hours on one objective sometimes. Ronin was shorter & easier & a great first attempt at Koei Tecmo’s open world. The combat was satisfying with lots of gore & traditions from Japanese culture to take in.
Finally, I started playing through the Dead Rising games again in preparation for the remake next month. What a throwback. I forgot how much I enjoyed these games when they first launched. Let’s hope if this turns out to be a success that we get a Dino Crisis remake at some point.
Most interesting news of this week: Silent Hill story trailer released and looks to have improved on a lot of areas. Thank god!
Looking forward to playing: More Dead Rising.
Stu
This week I have been playing a lot of Mafia: Definitive Edition story mode. I have also made a start on Moving Out 2, I loved the 1st game so I wanted to give the sequel a try. And finally, I had a go on Headbangers: Rhythm Royale which is essentially a battle royale rhythm/music game, very interesting and the games are fun.
Most interesting news of this week: Usually we put gaming news in here but as a diversion to norms I’m nominating my upswing in my physical health as the best news of the week, if not the best news of the year so far.
Looking forward to playing: August and September sees a glut of games coming out so I’m sure one of those will take my fancy.
Missi
This was another busy week full of awesome indie games releasing!
I have been playing Just Crow Things at the beginning of this week and just love it! It is from the makers of Rain on Your Parade and the humor is just awesome. How you can already rearrange the main menu and shit on the people walking on that menu. After that, you can already imagine how fun and crazy the real game will be. I highly recommend also checking out the Credits menu 
Another game I played this week was Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery, which is like Where’s Waldo? And you have to search for specific people and items on a busy scene. what makes the Hidden Through Time game series so good is that you can open up stuff, so you can look inside houses and inside furniture within those homes.
I also have been able to play Castaway ahead of its release. this game reminds me so much of the old Zelda and mystic quest games. The game has 2 modes: adventure mode, and a roguelike mode. It is a challenging game but a lot of fun!
Love, Ghostie was next on my list, and what a cool dating sims-kinda-like game. It was so clear how much love went into making this indie gem. so many small details could be found in the game. Like how the gifts can be found later on in their rooms and how they decorate their room the happier they are.
I have also been playing more Slash Quest. Awesome game full of humor where you play as this sword (with a human attached to it). The controls are crazy but that is the whole point of the game. It is so much fun finding all the treasures in each level.
Most interesting news of this week: The news about Tango Gameworks, but I also like to highlight that this past Thursday a Wholesome Games event started on Steam and so many cute games got a release date, or a (new) demo and stuff like that. I just love that there are so many wholesome games!
Looking forward to playing: More Slash Quest!
Benny
This week I’ve mostly been playing Parkitect: Deluxe Edition you can read my review [HERE]. I have also started playing Open Roads, which is available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It’s a fun little indie game about this girl and her relationship with her mum, I’m still early on but interested to see where the story goes.
I’ve also played some more Creatures of Ava which I’m really enjoying still. Easy pick up and play game when you have a few minutes or a few hours to game.
Most interesting news of this week: Tarsier Studios, the team behind Little Nightmares and its sequel, has revealed Reanimal during the Gamescom opening night With Little Nightmares 3 coming from Supermassive, the series’ original creators have shifted into a new, but similar, horror universe. Reanimal is designed for two-player co-op, and can be played online or locally. In fact, if you do play it solo, you’ll bring an AI companion with you every step of the way through its unsettling, violent world.
Looking forward to playing: More Open Roads, Creatures of Ava and Kena: Bridge of Spirits. I would also like to play some Apex Legends with friends too.
Derek
My apologies folks for not being around much, The dreaded Flu has hit our household and made things less fun all-around. But on the plus side: I have been playing a lot more games recently including Like a Dragon : Infinite Wealth, Fatal Frame : Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, Bendy and The Dark Revival, Dye The Bunny 2 and of course Graven (my review can be read HERE) all in all bad times for health but good times for gaming.
Most interesting news of this week: The Borderlands movie has flopped hard and for some reason, nobody is really all that surprised. there should have been even a small amount of interest with an all-star cast like that, but marketing just made it look awful. I think the fact that there are so many successful series out there shows that filmmakers just don’t have a clue. The best one I remember in the recent past was Silent Hill, so go check that out if you haven’t already.
Looking forward to playing: Visions of Mana looks EPIC, I had actually forgotten about the series until my girlfriend Shari picked up one of them for her Nintendo Switch and it just brought back so many memories. Also, the Deluxe remake of Dead Rising should be a lot of fun.
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!
