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
Another week of trying to obtain all the achievements in Borderlands 4. Lewis and I have reached Level 50 with almost every Vault Hunter, which is required for getting all the vehicle customisations. Farming vile bounties seemed to be the quickest way to gain experience. Now, we have the gear and manufacturer challenge achievements left to grind out. Then, everything will be complete until the first DLC releases.
I’ve also recently reinstalled Pokémon TCG Pocket, after getting the itch to complete all my collections. Thankfully, some friends and people online have been invaluable, sharing and trading cards I needed. I forgot just how much fun I have opening packs; it’s not quite the real deal, but it’s certainly way cheaper!
After watching some streamers’ playthroughs of The Quarry on YouTube and Twitch, I decided to return and clear up the remaining achievements. Yes, it required multiple playthroughs, but that’s something I didn’t mind, given the game’s nature. All games developed by Supermassive Games are just exceptional.
Most interesting news of this week: Valve has announced it’ll be releasing the Steam Machine in 2026, which I’m somewhat curious about.
Looking forward to playing: Borderlands 4 and SCHiM. Perhaps Winter’s Burrow.
Robby
I’ve beaten Wednesdays on Steam Deck, a game about sexual child abuse, so you can imagine that it’s difficult to put in video game form. But the team managed it masterfully and explained it in a way that could even help other victims deal with what happened to them. Not an easy game to recommend, but I’m still glad it exists.
On Xbox, I’m still chugging away at Final Fantasy Tactics, but the end is in sight. I’m grinding some optional achievements before I try my luck at the final boss.
I’m also playing Let’s Sing 2026 with my daughter, Fé, and PAW Patrol Rescue Wheels Championship with my son, Lio. I’m glad that I can spend some time with them through playing video games! You can watch a video of him playing the game HERE and expect a review for Let’s Sing on LifeIsXbox soon.
Most interesting news of this week: Valve announced the Steam Machine (which I’m tempted by) and the Valve Frame VR headset (which I’m less excited about). I’m really curious if this makes Valve a worthy entry in the console line-ups.
Looking forward to playing: Anima Gate of Memories I & II Remaster.
Aaron
This week, I’ve been playing a ton of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment for my newest review. It’s great! Lots of content and side missions to do, alongside a new canon story for Zelda fans to enjoy. You can read more about my thoughts in my recently published review [HERE]
I’ve also been finishing up Crow Country, which was given away over the Halloween period as part of PlayStation Plus. It’s a great little retro-inspired survival horror game, where you must find a missing theme park owner named Edward Crow. It has a great combat mechanic alongside some really nice visuals despite their simplicity.
Finally, I decided to collect ALL of the previous Call of Duty games across multiple platforms and started playing through them again. It’ll be a while before I get into anything else, I think, but truth be told, I’m not really into the new Black Ops 7.
Most interesting news of this week: Valve is releasing three new pieces of hardware. The Steam Machine, the Steam Machine controller, and the Valve Frame VR headset. Looking like it’s going to get extra competitive in 2026!
Looking forward to playing: Call of Duty Modern Warfare.
Colombo
This week, I continued to play Anima Gate of Memories I&II Remaster for an upcoming review. I’m almost done with it, and it has been interesting. I’m not quite sure what my score will be yet, but it is a good game.
I also played a bit of Remnant II with a friend, and it has been as interesting as the first one so far. I’m curious how it’ll be further in.
BALL x PIT, Neon Abyss and Brotato were again on my rotation, but I didn’t play them too much, as my focus was elsewhere.
Most interesting news of this week: Valve’s new hardware announcement.
Looking forward to playing: Anima Gate of Memories I&II Remaster, Once Upon a Katamari, Remnant II and maybe something else.
Missi
I played a lot of Mall Simulator this week, which, unfortunately, is quite buggy; however, the developer is working on fixing this. It was a great game! I’m not a fan of the grindy achievements, especially when combined with the game’s laggy performance when opening multiple stores, so I hope this issue gets fixed soon.
I am also playing The Lonesome Guild. A lovely game, the combat is a bit bland, but otherwise it is an excellent game that looks fantastic! Small warning, it has a lot of white screens, so if you are sensitive to light, this can hurt. (I look away when some screens are loading, not to get a headache/migraine attack. I tried to darken the screen, but then the other scenes were way too dark.)
And I’m also still playing some rounds of Dice Dice Baby from time to time. Will I ever be able to complete all the challenges? Not sure, but I’m having fun!
Most interesting news of this week: Valve’s new hardware, but Robby already does a good job covering that. Other important news is the Rock Star controversy and the possibility that they have been engaging in union-busting activities. The YouTube channel “People Make Games” has a good video about it. They do a great job of highlighting problems within the game industry.
Looking forward to playing: More The Lonesome Guild.
Benny
This past week, I’ve spent nearly all my time playing Tales of Xillia Remastered. It’s been an absolute blast, and I’m glad I decided to dive in, despite never experiencing the original release. The story is told wonderfully, and the characters that bring its world to life are just as compelling. If you’d like to hear more of my thoughts, be sure to check out my full review [HERE]
I also played a few races on Mario Kart World with some friends, which is always a lot of fun. On top of that, I managed to complete all the Grand Prix races in single-player 150cc.
Finally, I played a few rounds of Battlefield 6, focusing on Conquest and slowly improving my rank while unlocking better weapons to try out.
Most interesting news of this week: The latest instalment in the iconic Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, is arriving this week, and it’s landing on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Day One.
Looking forward to playing: CLAWPUNK, Anno 117: Pax Romana and Kirby Air Riders.
ChochKlah
This week, I’ve played a lot of Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, a great DnD-style dungeon crawler – much more fun than I expected. The gameplay, controls and graphics are very nicely polished. Positively, it is very addictive.
Most interesting news of this week: Valve announced the Steam Machine.
Looking forward to playing: Forestrike.
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!
