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
I have to start by letting anyone who missed it know that my Diablo IV review is finally online. I managed to push through some of my personal struggles on Wednesday and finish off what I’d written. If you have any free time, I’d appreciate anyone who can give it a read – the link can be found [HERE].
Otherwise, I started two new games. The first was Wheel of Fortune as I felt the need for a trivia-style game to have fun with; something I could pick up and play whenever I fancied a little challenge. Train Station Renovator was the second game and it’s certainly filling the void I need when I need to relax and not play anything too stressful or intense. I’m about halfway through but I’m slowing down a little as I don’t want to rush and need to find another game to replace it.
Continuing my review game Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 is my main focus right now though. I’m having a little breakthrough with my health right now so while I have the energy and ability to write, I want to get this online ASAP.
Most exciting news of this week: For almost every other person, this is most likely Starfield. That’s not the case for me. Even the release of Alien in Dead by Daylight hasn’t interested me like I hoped it would. So, honestly, I can’t think of anything else.
Looking forward to playing: TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3, Train Station Renevator, and DE-EXIT – Eternal Matters. Again, perhaps Stardew Valley if the mood takes me.
Robby
I’m still recovering from a week of Gamescom but I’ve picked up some games. Let’s start with the big news: I’ve finally finished Final Fantasy XVI. Hooray! I loved the ending and I’m happy to leave the game behind me with a good feeling until I find some time to dive into the NG+.
Just before bedtime, I currently have a habit of playing some short upkeep games in the span of 1.5 hours per night. I start with Forza Horizon 5, move on to Asphalt 9 where I play 6 daily races, then do a single attempt on Vampire Survivors, continue on the Switch with Advance Wars and then finally a few tracks on Final Fantasy Theathrythm Final Bar Line.
I’m guessing that’ll change soon with Starfield and Lies of P on the way though, both of which are coming to Xbox Game Pass.
Most exciting news of this week: Starfield launch week! I’m curious to see what kind of impact it will have on people.
Looking forward to playing: Starfield, though I’m not 100% sure it’s for me. Haven’t liked Bethesda’s other RPGs so far…
Thomas
Just like Robby is recovering from Gamescom with some games, I’ve also been playing some new things. As the second thing I did after coming back from Cologne, after saying hi and spending some time with my cat, I went and installed Armored Core VI, Fromsoft’s latest release.
Having never played an Armored Core game, I can’t speak to how it holds up compared to the other games in the franchise. The varied combat, fun missions, insanely cool mechs you can build and the story you can follow without Vaatividya’s channel (he is great go check him out on YouTube) all add to make this so far up my alley that a pile bunker has obliterated my couch. At the time of writing, I’ve only just entered Act 3, so I still have a lot of it ahead of me.
I’d also picked up Temtem before heading to Gamescom, so that also saw a bit of action. So far it’s been fun with not-Pokémon, but possibly contrary to popular belief, I’m wanting for some more story sections to hook me into this new world. I can’t complain too much, however, as I’ve been lucky enough to stumble into a shiny already. I’ll probably play this on the back burner over a longer time.
Honkai Star Rail also saw its fair share of time in the spotlight. With its 1.3 update that dropped recently, I’ve upped the time I spend on it a bit. From the new limited character banner that came with it I finally lucked out and got Imbibitor Lunae – Dan Heng with the 50/50, this is the first time I got the promoted character without forcing it out with the hard pity. Now to start the grind to upgrade him to his full potential can begin.
The late evenings have been for Final Fantasy XIV this week, as “The Rising” event is live and brings with it a new Moogle tomestone event. The phoenix mount from the yearly Rising Quest is cool, but it’s the moogle tomestone event that keeps me coming back. It is absolutely stacked with mounts, emotes and cosmetics for this 10-year anniversary edition. I’ll try to get the most out of this one for sure.
Oh, and I’m also playing Starfield. Not for review, Aaron has that honour, but to have adventures among the stars. More on that in the weeks to come.
Most exciting news of this week: Starfield enters early access today. Time to see what it’s all about.
Looking forward to playing: Well Starfield of course. With some Armored Core sprinkled in.
Aaron
I’ll have to keep it short & sweet this week because I’m playing through Starfield for our review which you can read on its official release date of September 6th.
I can’t say much right now, but all I can say is this game is huge. There is a lot to see & do. So when you get your hands on it on release day, don’t say I didn’t warn you. It can be a bit overwhelming at times learning the new systems & managing your crew, but with time you can pick it up in a few hours.
Just when you think you’ve mastered it all as well, the game will introduce a new mechanic for you to learn. Regardless, I’m having a great time so far & can’t wait to tell you all about the game.
Most exciting news of this week: New Characters are coming to Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Looking forward to playing: More Starfield.
Colombo
I have been playing Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case for an upcoming review.
Most exciting news of this week: Volition closing up, which is a shame.
Looking forward to playing: I’ll mostly play Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case for my review but I may try continuing Eastward. I won’t start Starfield on release day.
Stu
Still without a PS5 and a means to play Final Fantasy XVI and having a lot of FOMO because of it, I put all my energy elsewhere – I played more of Tales of Arise and played a bit more Grand Theft Auto V (both single-player and online) also I progressed with a steam review which hopefully should be out early doors next week.
Most exciting news of this week: Couldn’t be anything but the launch of Starfield.
Looking forward to playing: Starfield – need I say more?
Jordy
This week I started Sea of Stars and played some Closed Beta of Hyenas. A lot of fun and curious to see what the future holds for this one
Most exciting news of this week: The sad news about the closure of Volition Studio. It’s always sad to see developer studios closing. Saints Row used to be a really great franchise and for the rest of our lives we will be left wondering ‘What if?’. I hope all the Volition employees find a new place soon to continue putting their passion in our hands.
Looking forward to playing: This weekend I will jump in the Early Access launch for Starfield. So I will probably be lost among the stars in the coming week. I will also finally jump into a mechsuit and see what kind of dangers are looming on Rubicon 3.
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!