Yo, it’s the weekend again. This time, I don’t have covid and that is awesome because I’ve got some gaming to do and would like to do so without constantly hating the taste of Paxlovid.
And we’ve got some more treasures for you to consider, including a return of that epic RPG making all the D&D nerds hot and bothered, a dark looter shooter, a nice indie throwback, and a passionate defense of a game that’s on its last legs. Let’s dive right into the games you too could be enjoying this weekend.
Broforce
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam Deck: YMMV)
Current goal: Protect the constitution
Side-scrolling co-op shoot’em up Broforce released nearly a decade ago. Its punchy Metal Slug action and satire of ‘80s action movies and American jingoism made it an instant indie arcade classic. But despite loving what I initially played, I never got too deep into it at the time. It was one of those games that quickly fell off my radar thanks to an onslaught of other releases and my obsession with Destiny: The Taken King.
Now Broforce is back with a new free update that adds new enemy types and challenge levels and expands the roster of collectible bros to include, among others, Xena the warrior princess and Jeff Goldblum from The Fly. I downloaded it this week (thanks Game Pass) and like it even more than before. When Broforce first came out, it felt like one of many retro pixel art homages we were getting every couple months. In 2023, it’s clear it’s stood the test of time like few others from that era have. — Ethan Gach
Marvel’s Avengers
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam Deck: Not happening)
Current goal: Beat the single-player campaign
You know, I hadn’t really thought about Crystal Dynamics’ Marvel’s Avengers since April, when I blogged about the game unlocking almost everything for all players for free. Then YouTuber Austin Eruption dropped a video on July 31 that made a compelling case for the failed live-service superhero RPG, and I felt convinced to jump back into the skintight suits of Black Widow, Captain America, and everyone’s fave PlayStation-exclusive superdude Spider-Man.
It’s…rough. The combat feels good, and while all the GaaS (games-as-a-service) elements like loot boxes and microtransactions have been removed, it still feels a bit bloated with RPG systems that don’t totally make sense for the Avengers. Still, I’m having a great time traveling from outpost to outpost, cracking skulls and stopping evildoers. Despite the monotony of fighting the same handful of baddies over and over, Crystal Dynamics succeeded in delivering a raucous brawler that puts the ever-popular MCU troupe in your fingertips. I just hope I can beat the game and do everything it has to offer before online support supposedly comes to an end later this year. — Levi Winslow
Remnant II
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam Deck: At your own risk)
Current goal: Backseat gaming
This weekend I’m planning on watching my boyfriend play Gunfire Games’ recently released Remnant 2. I never played Remnant, and I rarely play shooters in general—I am way too panicky to ever shoot both quickly and accurately, though sometimes I can manage one or the other— so I’d never be into Remnant 2‘s moody pools of blood on my own. (On my own, I’d rather listen to the Bloodborne OST for the 100th hour in my life.)
But I get a fizzy vicarious enjoyment from watching other people—especially my boyfriend, who is a certified Git Gud Gamer and sore loser—play games. I like laughing at them when they fail and squeezing their arms when they win. We’re in it together, even online. — Ashley Bardhan
Overwatch 2
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows (Steam Deck: No bueno)
Current goal: Sink my teeth into the biggest content drop for the game yet
Overwatch 2’s story missions are finally here. But god, I’m having trouble getting excited for them. At one time, these were all I really wanted out of the hero shooter, but after waves of bad news, we’ll see if it lives up to the hype I once had.
But at least that’s not all that’s new. There’s a new hero, a progression system, an event challenge, and a battle pass to start working through. Really, I should be stoked that Blizzard dropped its biggest content update since Overwatch 2 launched last October, but I’m still working through all the bad vibes. I love this game and am always happy when I play it, but the
biggest challenge this weekend is mustering up the desire to get started. — Kenneth Shepard
Armored Core
Play it on: PS1 (or as a digital PSOne Classic on later systems if you managed to buy it before Sony made that difficult)
Current goal: Wrap this thing up
With Armored Core suddenly in the air thanks to the imminent sequel I finally made time to sit down with FromSoft’s 1997 original. (I’d previously only played 2013’s AC: Verdict Day.) A missables FAQ kept me from feeling too anxious about making Mistakes so I was able to just cruise on through a bunch of missions each night, building up my robot (imaginatively named A1, pilot name “Alxandra”) into a more efficient marauder as I played two megacorps against each other in a futuristic sci-fi hellscape.
It was fun for a good while, struggling to afford new mech parts and feasting on the barest scraps of cyberpunk narrative between missions, despite the actual mech-piloting action being merely clunky and acceptable.
Playing Armored Core has helped crystallize for me why I enjoy some of these early FromSoft games. I remember I used to play King’s Field (KF2 JP) and half make fun of it to friends. Like ha-ha, look how basic and primitive this game is, can you believe it? Meanwhile I’d already played like halfway through the thing. Maybe the joke was on me; maybe my criteria for what constituted a “good game” needed reassessing.
When Armored Core’s mech shooting and technical aspects come up short, the sparse but potent worldbuilding and sincere dedication to maintaining a grim, oppressive atmosphere help keep me submerged in the fictional world. The mechs are awkward, the vistas sparse, and the framerates modest, but the game’s omnipresent narrative framing encourages me to view that humble action in the context of acting as my fictional mercenary, almost like I’m controlling an RPG character.
This means the merely adequate action’s just a portion of the full package; scraping together cash for parts I can’t really afford yet, gleaning lore from emails and item descriptions, and tinkering with my mech are every bit as important to the full experience on offer here.
Granted, my enjoyment is waning a bit in Armored Core’s second half—lore drops have slowed, there aren’t enough meaningful/useful mech parts, and some missions are feeling repetitive. But I like the final mix enough to know that I’m definitely going to see this adventure through, and anticipate checking out the sequels. It might be a while before I get to the new one. — Alexandra Hall
Baldur’s Gate 3
Play it on: Windows (Steam Deck: Decent 30fps experience) (PS5 in September)
Current goal: “I’m longing for your touch and I’m ready to take your 666 in my Shadowheart…”
This week I had to figure out whether or not I was going to spend more time prepping for my regular Pathfinder campaign…or play Baldur’s Gate 3. Fortunately, I found enough time to make both work out, but folks, BG3 is making this TTRPG girl fall wonderfully in love.
Does it replace the tabletop RPG experience? Hell no—it’s not even based on my favorite TTRPG game system. But its approach is so steeped in what it’s like to sit around a real table unraveling a story with friends that I’m just absolutely enamored.
For me, BG3 succeeds in three ways:
1. It’s friggin’ wildly unexpected and memorable. I’ve made choices thus far that took me for rides I totally didn’t see coming—I shouldn’t talk about here due to spoilers—and I’ve met some really memorable characters.
2. It’s not an infinite monster machine: Roaming around the map doesn’t just lead to fight after fight (which FFXVI truly exhausted me with, among other things) and instead leads me to interesting narrative encounters that are voiced so, so well. Some might break out into a fight, but as a Bard, I’ve got some great stats for my preferred way of playing the game: Discussion & Diplomacy.
Read More: Baldur’s Gate 3’s Narrator Outtakes Are A Critical Hit
And 3. Yes, the combat is absolutely delightful. It is the tactical tabletop turn-based flavor that I love, expedited with the quick math of a video game, and uses a logic that I’m more than familiar with. It nails all the vibes from “yes, thank god it’s dead” to “are you fucking kidding me, you failed three death saves in a row you stupid Rogue?” and never ever gets old.
I struggle with Pathfinder 2nd Edition rules creeping up into my brain, repeatedly causing me to go “wait, don’t I have two more actions?” when in fact I do not. There are reasons I don’t play 5e IRL, but BG3 is so good, I don’t even care about nitpicking over the tiny details about why I prefer other systems, I just want to keep on playing this game. — Claire Jackson
And that wraps our weekend games guide for this week. What games are you playing this weekend?
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