Ollie Reynolds, staff writer
I just finished playing Still Wakes the Deep on Xbox, and flippin' Nora, it was so enjoyable, I'm kind of tempted to go back to the beginning and do it again!
On the Switch, I decided to start 2025 fresh playing Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury; something reasonably light-hearted to keep me occupied (and reasonable while I wait for the Switch 2 reveal!).
Gavin Lane, editor
I've managed to spend a few hours with Arc so far and it blends mechanics and narrative beautifully – I'm looking forward to playing more. I've also been grinding some of Lorelei's more complex puzzles – it's such an intricate game, easily the most impressive thing I've played in the last year.
Outside of that? Oh, the backlog is full, but I picked up a Lego Star Wars on sale, so I might as well go back to The Phantom Menace with the kids ordering me around. I compulsive collection of shiny studs takes the fun out of most Lego games, but having the kids there to stop me from mindlessly destroying every last jar improves the experience immensely.
Have a great time, folks.
Jim Norman, staff writer
After a holiday break from gaming… not too much actually, I'm looking forward to spending some time with something chilled this weekend. I recently played Pokémon Emerald again and only have a few gyms left before I polish it. I'm also totally into Duck Detective: The Secret Salami at the moment, so I'm hoping to finish that as well — we're talking about the hidden gem of 2024 (Duck Detective, not Pokémon Emerald)
!I'll also probably be starring in a video of Marvel Rivals after a couple of weeks off, but don't tell my Switch that.
Kate Gray, Associate
I'm still traveling this weekend, and I forgot it's the weekend because I don't know what day it is, so… a lot of train travel. That makes it the perfect time to play something new, right?
I downloaded 1000xRESIST because all my friends won't stop talking about it, and I played the first hour with my partner (thinking it was a “experience this together” thing), but I think I might restart it on mine. I hear excellent things.
I also bought a bunch of mystery games on the Steam sale, so I should try them out, but mostly I've been playing Fields of Mistria. I don't usually play early access games, and I was reminded why: I don't like feeling like I'm eating a meal before all the components are on the plate. It's a very polished and enjoyable game, for sure, but I can see empty spaces where the sides should go, and that's a bit of a nuisance!
Nile Bowie, associate
Hello, people. I received a late Christmas present in the mail this week: a shiny new analog pocket. I have an extensive collection of physical cartridges for the original Game Boy and finally decided that the Pocket and its beautiful screen were worth picking out. I've started a new playthrough of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, a game I have fond memories of playing as a 90s kid at summer camp. This weekend I'll be giving away my other favorite Game Boy puzzles like QIX, Quarth, and Tetris! I really should restart and finally finish Mole Mania, Miyamoto's overlooked classic.
Speaking of which, I also grabbed the feature documentary Tetris Forever during the holiday sale and will finish it this weekend. I'm quite familiar with the origin story of Tetris, that infamous glasnost-era licensing debacle in the old USSR, but those involved recount it here with particular honesty and detail. The new Tetris Time Warp mode is also a real kick! I will also be weaning off Antonblast. It's going to be a retro-driven doozy of a gaming weekend for me.
Gonçalo Lopes, associate
Moving on to the ninth chapter of Yakuza Kiwami thanks to very good progress over the holidays. I'd probably be further along in the main story if I hadn't spent an insane amount of time collecting maps of ladies dressed in bug outfits and parts for miniature racing car customization kits. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind is back in rotation after the latest patch made the ghost scaling sections easier and will likely give Cho Aniki collection spin because I've always been a fan of this wacky series.
Game of the week is Under Defeat. The physical remastered Switch version arrived just in time for the holidays and it's glorious. For the first time in a full 16:9 ratio and with a new double stick steering scheme, this is the definitive way to enjoy the G.Rev Naomi classic board.
Ethan Zack, Contributor
Happy 2025! For better or worse, I've officially boarded the 'Switch 2' hype train and my brain is almost entirely occupied with excitement over hardware leaks I don't understand, rumors that are probably false, and daydreams about games they never announced.
Unfortunately, the upcoming reveal of the Switch's successor has the side effect of making me hesitant to launch new games on the off chance that they might look nicer or run better whenever that shiny, new piece of tech shows up. As such, I'm going back to the legacy, starting with my first playthrough of Super Monkey Ball on the GameCube. I knew Monkey Ball was supposed to be an ultra-replayable, level-learning experience, but I wasn't prepared for how difficult the advanced and expert stages could be. Some of these floors are really mean, man.
That's what we have planned for the weekend, what about you? Let us know in the next poll which games you plan to launch in the next few days.
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