What Are You Playing This Weekend – June 2019 Edition

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We’re now in what I like to call the eye of the storm. The madness of E3 is past us, the crazy release schedule beginning late-August is right around the corner. And here we are, in the middle, with nothing but a hail mary and a Steam summer sale. It’s a quiet time, a time to clear out the backlogs and rummage through the sales, punctuated by the release of the most exciting game of the year – Judgment. Don’t @ me.

Jon – I finished up my playthrough of Shenmue HD and now the decks are cleared for one of my most eagerly anticipated games this year – Judgment. I’m a big, big fan of the Yakuza series, while detective work and courtroom drama is my absolute thing. Smoosh them all together and you’ve got Judgment, a game which feels both fresh, with its new gameplay elements, and familiar, with the reuse of Yakuza’s iconic rendition of Kamurocho.

Judgment is probably going to steal the lion’s share of my gaming time this weekend, although I will also be continuing to plug away at Void Bastards. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a game inspired by BioShock and System Shock 2 and features art by the fellow who worked on Freedom Force all those years ago. It’s quite the looker with its comic book-style visuals. The basic gist is you’re one of many prisoners aboard the Void Ark, heading out into space to try and leave the nebula behind. Void Bastards is an FPS rogue-lite with upgrades that carry over from run-to-run, and it also happens that it’s insanely addictive. Each shape can take anywhere from a couple to 20 minutes to clear, packed with a random assortment of enemies, traps, and the like. It’s got an addictive gameplay loop nailed down that keeps me coming back for more. Repetition can set in during longer sessions but the overall package is fantastic. Fingers crossed I can finally make it to the end this weekend.

Felix – I am still thoroughly enjoying Total War 3 Kingdoms. For the first time in a Total War game, if I get caught between two powerful nations, I can turn to the negotiating table and carve myself out a respite for a few turns. This can take many forms, perhaps I marry one of my family members into the family of one of my enemy’s allies, or my spy network increases their raids on my enemies trade routes to lower their funds. Buying me just enough time to get on top of an invasion.

Simplified army structure (like TW: Shogun 2), removing agents from the chaos of the campaign map, improved spy and diplomacy options, a slight return to the traits your generals have.

I find myself constantly at war from all sides and it’s a hectic back and forth but I think 3 Kingdoms is my favourite Total War so far. And that’s including my love for the Warhammer/Total War combo of the past few years.

So, over to you now, what are your gaming plans for the weekend? Let us know below!