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
Palworld has once again taken over my gaming time. Lewis and I managed to complete the main story this week. It was a bittersweet moment: I was happy to have beaten the final boss, but also knew this was where the achievement grind would begin. Begrudgingly, we’ve started to collect all the effigies while competing in the arena and challenging hard mode bosses. There are other miscellaneous achievements we are working towards, but we’re confident we can get it done. Slow and steady wins the race, right?
I also played a few more days of Quarantine Zone: The Last Check. I’m on Day 19 of the campaign, so only a week in-game to complete. My achievement for feeding a zombie unlocked after I got my second caged zombie at the end of the day, so I just have to choose the bad ending, and it’ll be a wrap!
I played two games of Overwatch this week and opened all my lootboxes before the new season starts next Tuesday. Nothing to write home about; not a single Illari reward. I did get a new Juno skin though, which was the highlight.
Most interesting news of the week: Xbox is getting a trophy/100% achievement system. I’ve seen some incredible ideas for it online, and I can’t wait to see the final product.
Looking forward to playing: Palworld, Quarantine Zone: The Last Check, and maybe some Spot the Difference.
Robby
I 100% completed LEGO Batman with my son Lio, and he was asking for the next game we could play together, and just that moment, I received the offer to request a code for PAW Patrol: Dino World. I checked with him, because he’s almost 8 now and a bit above the PAW Patrol age range, but because he’s very much still into dinosaurs, we wanted to try at least. Conclusion so far: very much a “my first game” situation where gameplay is very simple, and my biggest letdown so far is the splitscreen co-op; it always forces all players to do the same thing at the same time, down to changing cosmetics. After having the asynchronous freedom in Batman, this feels like several steps back. But the dinos look nice at least 😄 HERE is my son’s recorded gameplay from the first mission.
On Steam Deck I started playing Lost in Tandem, and it’s GORGEOUS. Like walking through a watercolour painting. It also has co-op, but I played it solo by changing the character I control. Sadly, my completionist thinking has already caused a progress-stopping bug, because I tried to carry a box with me further than I was supposed to and the game didn’t account for that… I’ll see if they fix the bug or if I have to start the game from scratch.
I also received Grizzy and the Lemmings: Crazy Party for review, a party game based on a kids’ TV show. It’s very much like Mario Party in its setup, but playable on Xbox! We played 2 rounds already and had a lot of fun, me, the wife and 2 kids. A review will arrive shortly! HERE is our 4-player gameplay! That’s pretty much it for the entire week; I didn’t have a ton of game time, and I was tired early and fell asleep way sooner than I usually do.
Most interesting news of the week: Xbox will get platinum trophy-like badges for 1000G completions.
Looking forward to playing: Deas As Disco! It just got a summer update, and I want to go back in ^^
Colombo
I finished replaying Batman Arkham Origins, and I still think it’s a pretty good game, despite not being as good as the others in the franchise. I had forgotten about playing through Batman Arkham City‘s DLC, so I’ll be doing that soon.
I started and finished playing LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, and I’m enjoying how creative the levels are, and the gameplay changes from the previous entry are more than welcome, but I do feel weird about so many characters having access to many suits; it feels like it takes away some of their uniqueness. I plan on collecting everything in it nonetheless.
I’ve also played a little bit of a few different Xbox Game Pass games for my monthly quest: Tamashika, Vampire Crawlers, Shift at Midnight, and Halls of Torment, as well as finishing up Minecraft Dungeons‘ DLCs with friends.
Of course, I am still playing The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles on my Switch, and I’m still feeling like it’s quite a charming game.
My friends convinced me to try playing Fortnite with them, after some internal debating, and I’ve got to admit that there’s a bit too much content on it; it’s overwhelming, but it is fun nonetheless.
Most interesting news of the week: Changes to captures on Xbox will make them include voice chat in the future, having the potential for a clip to become even funnier with it. We’re also getting something along the lines of a platinum trophy for achievements; I’m curious about what that will end up looking like.
Looking forward to playing: More The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Marvel Rivals’ new season and potentially more Fortnite, though I believe I’ll be playing it more once its next season starts as well.
Benny
I’ve just wrapped up Helix: Descent N Ascent, which I mentioned last week, and I had a great time with it. The puzzles can be tricky in places, but exploring your surroundings and a bit of trial and error kept things rewarding rather than frustrating. The stunning monochrome art style, paired with some fantastic visual effects, gives the game a really distinctive look. Check out my full review [HERE]!
I’ve also started playing BOKURA with Aaron for our very first joint review, and we’re already having a fantastic time with it. This unique two-player online cooperative puzzle adventure gives each player a different perspective of the same world, making communication and teamwork essential, as you solve puzzles and uncover its mysterious story. We’re making great progress so far and are excited to share our thoughts with you. Keep an eye out for our first collaborative review coming soon!
I’ve also played a little more Forza Horizon 6 and completed my first raid in Splatoon Raiders, which just keeps getting better and better. I’m really enjoying the experience so far and can’t wait to play more.
Most interesting news of the week: Rockstar Games and Take-Two have confirmed that fans will get a closer look at Grand Theft Auto 6 later this month, with an “extended look” trailer set to premiere on Netflix on Thursday, 27th August, at 3pm ET (8pm BST).
Looking forward to playing: Akatori, BOKURA and Kynseed.
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!
