What are you playing this weekend? (February 25)

Jim Norman, staff writer

Ahhh there is so much new out to do what I always do and retreat into repeating some familiar favorites for the thousandth time.

I went back to my Layton playthrough after that Direct announcement gave me all sorts of vertigo and I’ve been struggling to shake it off. I’m currently on The Spectre’s Call and I must say, still slaps. Speaking of which, the Switch’s GBA library fills me with joy after I thought I’d pick up The Minish Cap for “just a few minutes” and now I’m four temples deep with no sign of slowing down — damn, this might be my favorite game ever. ..

I also decided to go back and give Skyward Sword HD another shot after putting it on hold for a while — because that’s something a person with a huge back catalog would do, right? Treats me a little better this time around, though still not the ultimate Zelda for me.

I’d love to finally get Fire Emblem Engage behind me this weekend, but to be honest, I’m more likely to start playing another game again instead.

Ollie Reynolds, staff writer

I’ve finally decided to holster my cannon for now with Metroid Prime Remastered; I’ve completed the game twice so far on normal and hard difficulty, so I’m suitably satisfied.

When I did, I started a new game on Stardew Valley, and this might be the fifth or sixth time I’ve decided to do that. I don’t know why but I really struggle to stick to it. I hope something clicks with this latest effort, because it’s such a beautiful world to get lost in.

On Series X, I’m currently playing Psychonauts 2 again. It’s easily one of the best 3D platformers in years; I absolutely love him.

Alana Hagues, staff writer

There’s really only room for one game this weekend, and probably for a while — Octopath Traveler II. This pretty much made for cozy nights in bed with OLED, right? Although, admittedly, the stories are a little darker this time. I guess that’s what Temenos is there for. The cheeky, sarcastic priest makes for a funny and interesting character, it turns out.

Don’t worry, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is still running, and with the recent Chrono Cross patch, I’ve been checking it on and off, if only to listen to Yasunori Mitsuda’s incredible soundtrack. Yasunori Nishiki (Octopath’s composer), however, could give Mitsuda a run for its money. Seriously, listen to these Octopath Traveler II samples.

Gonçalo Lopes, reviewer

The final boss of Metroid Prime Remastered proves to be as much of a nuisance as it was in the original game. I promised to finish the game on the stream and I will keep my promise this weekend. Octopath Traveler II is here in all its HD-2D glory and while I can’t wait to dive into this new world, the old world of Sylvarant continues to beckon in Tales of Symphonia Remastered. Did you know that all skits are fully voiced in Japanese dubbing? It adds a lot of personality to the main roster.

It’s the game of the week Xenogars. Since I don’t already play enough JRPGs on Nintendo systems, I decided to revisit this amazing PS1 classic. But now I realize that the journey to kill God takes 50+ hours. With so many new games every week, why do I keep doing this to myself?