Our writers sat down to discuss the games both new and old that they’ve been playing over the past week, featuring some tactics RPGs and the best recent releases.
Ced Gossling: So last week I’ve only had the time to dabble in some Hollow Knight: Silksong and whenever that felt too punishing, I needed something light, something I can just pick up and play, forget the time for a hot minute. I’m just kidding, I was grinding the new Hunt: Showdown event like there’s no tomorrow, eager to try out the 2 new weapons you can only get within the map – can’t be bought, fellas.
The new hot zones are crazy, with their venomous critters popping out of their spiky cocoons and the QOL changes to the UI are exactly what I wanted for months now. Yes, Hunt giveth, Hunt taketh, and sometimes even I get frustrated – but what Crytek has done with the game is nothing short of magic. Definitely the best extraction shooter on the market right now, hands down.
Callum Hamilton: This week I’ve been revisiting Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, which has had a few updates since I last played it in the early summer. I was a big fan of the last game from the Trese Brothers, Star Traders: Frontiers, but this is a huge step up.
Much like Star Traders, it has a very silly main story that threatens to give you a lore overdose, but that’s part of the charm. It’s just a really well-made tactics game, and I particularly enjoy the fact that you aren’t forced into stealth – it’s a viable option but you can also just kick the doors down and go in guns blazing.
People will make comparisons with X-COM, but I’ve never been a huge fan of the series even though I like the genre – which I appreciate is a bit like being a fan of The Beatles but hating Paul McCartney, although come to think of it that’s probably not even a particularly unusual opinion to hold. For me, it hit the spot and has the right balance of RPG with the tactics, leaning a lot towards the latter.
CG: I’ve recently had the urge to go back and play some good old, classic RPG goodness – preferably something cozy, you know – wholesome. Naturally, I picked up one of my all time favorites, that being Gothic II. But since I’ve finished that about 10 times already, I’ve decided to play it with mods, namely the Odyssee total conversion.
This one let’s you visit some of the locations from Gothic III, during or just after the nameless hero visited them, filling in some much-needed lore gaps, and some other, new locations, that just fit in perfectly. It’s massive too and the amount of gameplay additions are mind-blowing for a fan-made mod. I’m 70 hours in and I’m only in chapter 4 of 6 – that’s pretty insane.
CH: Ah, Gothic III. Eurojank really needs to make a comeback.
CG: Gothic III was a mess, but yeah, I can’t wait for the Gothic Remake by Alkimia. Eurojank is where it’s at, I swear by it.
CH: Is Kingdom Come the biggest example now? You could even argue Cyberpunk 2077, but that would really be pushing it.
CG: I’d argue their teams are way too big as of now, And Warhorse are just beasts regarding that. they just have this knack for detailed game worlds, and after Witcher III I think CDPR have pretty much proven that they got the juice.
CH: Right. Devs – please spend less money and time on your Eurojank. Give the people what they crave. I also took the time to have a go on Megabonk, which I hoped would rekindle some of the old thrill of boomer shooters, and it did not disappoint. The combination of 2D and 3D makes it feel a lot better than some of the other games that have had an odd fascination for first-gen 3D.
I feared from the initial glance that it was actually a parody game, which is never a good thing, but it stays just on the right side of it. The combat is actually surprisingly deep, and the weapons and boosts are actually varied enough and interesting to drive you on to keep levelling up – it’s not just getting a slightly better weapon or more HP every time. We’ll be having some guides up for it very shortly.
